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WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 


'M  Qraw-MBook  (h  Jm 

PUBLISHERS     OF     BOOKS     FOR^ 

Coal  Age  ^  Electric  Railway  Journal 
Electrical  World  ^  Engineering  News-Record 
American  Machinist  v  Ingenieria  Intemacional 
Engineering 8 Mining  Journal  ^  Power 
Chemical  6  Metallurgical  Ilngineering 
Electrical  Merchandising 


S.  M.  KEXXEDY 


WINNING 
THE  PUBLIC 


BY 

S.  M.  KENNEDY 

Vice-President  in  charge  of  Public  Relations  and 
Business  Development 

Southern  California  Edison  Company 


Second  Edition 


McGRAW-HILL  BOOK  COMPANY,  Inc. 

NEW  YORK:  370  SEVENTH  AVENUE 

LONDON :  6  &  8  BOU  VERIE  ST.,  E.  C.  4 

1921 


Copyright,  1920,  1921,  by  the 
McGraw-Hill  Book  Company,  Inc. 


THK     MAPL.K     I>RKKS     YOHK     f  A. 


MM 


PREFACE  TO  SECOND  EDITION 

When  the  written  word  has  been  sent  forth  on  its  career  it 
brings  the  writer  in  touch  with  many  minds  and  broadens  his 
sphere  of  acquaintances  to  an  extent  which  is  perhaps  the  greatest 
reward  for  his  labor.  Since  writing  "Winning  the  PubHc," 
many  men  who  have  been  giving  the  question  of  pubHc  relations 
close  study  have  honored  me  by  an  interchange  of  thought.  Of 
their  work  and  the  sincerity  with  which  they  are  doing  it  I  have 
been  much  impressed.  From  what  they  have  said  to  me  and 
from  what  I  have  gathered  from  reviews  of  my  book,  it  appears 
that  the  treatment  of  this  important  subject  would  be  amplified 
en    and  the  usefulness  of  the  book  increased  by  the  addition  of  two 

CD  ''  _ 

^  chapters.  These  added  chapters  deal  miore  directly  with  the 
topic  of  maintaining  frank  and  courteous  intercourse  with  the 
people.  The  chapter  referring  to  the  Department  of  Greater- 
Service  has  particular  application  to  the  improvement  of  certain 
conditions  existing  in  many  places  at  the  present  time. 

"Winning  the  Public"  contains  no  theories  which  have  not 
vj  been  successfully  put  into  practice  and  makes  no  suggestions 
V:  that  have  not  been  tried  out.  These  are  the  principal  reasons 
s^  why  the  second  edition  is  offered  to  those  who  have  constantly 
^    before    them    the    important    problem    of    improving    Public 


>- 
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Relations. 

S.  M.  Kennedy. 


268526 


CONTENTS 

Page 
Introduction ix 

CHAPTER  I 

Transforming  Public  Opinion 1 

Greater  Service. 

CHAPTER  II 

The  Point  of  View 6 

How  the  Public  Judges — Impressing  the  Customer — How  Not  to 
Do  It — The  Psychology  of  Environment — The  Hospitable  Office. 

CHAPTER  III 

The  Value  of  Courtesy 12 

Intangible  Assets — Under  a  Microscope — The  Cornerstone  of 
Success — The  Daily  Round — Handling  Complaints — Aggressive 
Courtesy — A  Good  Investment. 

CHAPTER  IV 

The  Man  in  the  Street 21 

The  Impressionist — The  Student — The  Human  Being — The 
Customer — The  Investor. 

CHAPTER  V 

Room  at  the  Top 32 

Persistence — Cheerfulness — Soimdness — ^Loyalty. 

CHAPTER  VI 

Congenial  Contacts 38 

Letter  Writing — The  Telephone — Personal  Contact. 

CHAPTER  VII 

That  the  People  May  Know 46 

Financial  News — Power  Development — Important  Extensions — 
Power  Uses — Personal  Items — Welfare  Work — State  Regulations 
— Distribution  of  News. 

CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Display  Room 54 

The  Display  Room  as  Salesman — Appointments  and  Methods — 
Supplementary  Features — Value  of  Special  Demonstrations — 
Joint  Electrical  and  Food  Exhibits — The  Educational  Factors. 

CHAPTER  IX 

The  Spirit  of  Progress 63 

Land  Transportation — Electricity  on  the  Sea — Invading  the  Air 
— Development  of  Telegraphy — More  Light — Limitless  Oppor- 
tunity— From  the  Cradle  to  the  Grave. 


X  CONTENTS 

Faqb 

CHAPTER  X 

The  District  Manager 73 

The  Organizer — The  Real  Head — Custodian  and  Guardian — 
Administrator  of  Funds — Business  Builder — Collector  of  Revenues 
— Harmonizer — Friendly  Relations — The  Arbitrator. 

CHAPTER  XI 

Potential  Publicity 82 

Classifying  the  Public — The  Supremacy  of  the  Newspaper — 
Central  Stations  and  Cooperative  Publicity — Advantages  of 
the  Large  Space — Accumulative  Advertising — Being  Frank 
with  the  Public — Electric  Signs  and  Bill-boards — Using  the 
Backs  of  Bills — Advertising  Copy — The  Possibilities  of  the 
Motion  Picture — Advertising  and  Development. 

CHAPTER  XII 

The  Commercial  Instinct 94 

Cumulative  Results — Visualizing  Business — Transforming  a  Home 
— Diversity  of  Load — Creating  Opportunities — The  Personal 
Elements — Recognizing  Friends. 

CHAPTER  XIII 

The  Art  op  Conciliation .   101 

The  Origin  of  Distrust — Development  of  Regulation — Incentives 
to  Courtesy — The  Nature  of  Service — Courtesy  Which  Convinces 
— Selecting  Representatives — The  Extent  of  Conciliation. 

CHAPTER  XIV 

Service 109 

On  What  Good  Service  Depends — Physical  Conditions — Rate 
Schedules — Meter  Reading  and  Billing — Service  Applications 
— Educational  ResponsibiUties — Complaints  and  Troubles — 
Contacts  with  Consumers — Courtesy  and  Conciliation — What 
Depends  on  Good  Service — Increased  Earnings — Public  Good 
Will — Financial  Advantages — Prosperity  of  Territory  Served — 
Unlimited  Possibilities. 

CHAPTER  XV 

Cumulative  Cooperation .    126 

The  Cooperative  Society — The  Cooperative  Spirit — Cooperation 
with  One's  Self — Cooperation  Among  Employes — Coopera- 
tion with  the  Community — Courting  Success. 

CHAPTER  XVI 

Over  Complacency 134 

The  Offensive  Air  of  Superiority — A  Word  to  the  District  Manager 
— Complacency  in  Complaint  Department — Personal  Appearance 
and  Complacency. 

CHAPTER  XVII 

I  Thank  You 141 

Join  the  Thank  You  Club — Thankfulness  a  Duty. 


INTRODUCTION 

Though  the  great  world  war  has  been  fought  and  won,  we 
face  today  a  situation  in  human  affairs  never  before  experienced. 
ReHeved  of  the  high  incentive  thrust  upon  the  consciousness  of 
every  citizen  to  do  his  best  during  the  thrUHng  periods  of  war,  in 
these  days  of  reconstruction  a  sore  and  sick  world  needs  some- 
thing of  hope,  inspiration  and  real  substance  to  bring  to  pass  the 
full  fruition  of  the  years  of  sacrifice  and  struggle  that  have  now 
closed. 

In  no  other  line  of  activity  is  this  opportunity  for  service  more 
clearly  needed  than  in  that  of  public  utility  effort.  The  tele- 
phone, the  telegraph  and  the  supply  of  heat,  light  and  power  have 
become  indispensable  in  modern  human  organizations  and  activi- 
ties. The  number  of  people  engaged  in  these  activities  now  runs 
up  into  the  millions  in  our  national  life.  As  a  consequence,  the 
value  of  a  book  such  as  the  one  herewith  offered  to  the  public 
can  hardly  be  estimated  in  dollars  and  cents.  The  major  portion 
of  the  chapters  presented  have  appeared  serially  in  the  columns 
of  the  Journal  of  Electricity  or  the  Electrical  World  during  the 
year  1920.  These  articles  have  created  such  a  deep  impression, 
not  only  throughout  the  electrical  industry  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  but  throughout  the  nation,  that  we  should  feel  that 
we  had  failed  in  our  duty  unless  at  this  time  we  express  the  ap- 
preciation of  men  of  the  industry  in  all  parts  of  the  country. 

The  author,  Mr.  S.  M.  Kennedy,  vice-president  of  the  Southeri 
California  Edison  Company,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  wonder- 
fully operated  public  utilities  of  the  nation  today,  possesses,  to  a  i 
degree  perhaps  equaled  by  no  other  living  individual,  the  ability/ 
to  sense  the  need  for  service,  to  visualize  this  need,  and  then  U 
put  it  into  words  so  that  the  executive,  the  employe  and  the  man 
in  the  street  may  gather  a  clearer  and  more  inspiring  vision  of 
the  great  need  for  service  in  this  present  generation. 

The  chapter  entitled  "The  Man  in  the  Street"  and  also  the 
chapter  entitled  "Service"  have  in  months  past  been  presented 
before  public  gatherings  and  have  brought  out  profound  expres- 
sions of  commendation  and  appreciation  from  those  who  have 


-312) 

xii  INTRODUCTION 

heard  or  read  these  utterances.  That  the  paper  entitled 
"Service,"  read  at  the  forty-third  convention  of  the  National 
Electric  Light  Association  at  Pasadena,  should  have  received 
the  rousing  response  from  the  convention  that  it  was  accorded 
and  that  Commissioner  Edgerton,  president  of  the  Railroad 
Commission  of  the  State  of  California,  in  his  address  that  immedi- 
ately followed  Mr.  Kennedy's  paper  alluded  to  it  as  the  basis 
upon  which  utility  service  should  be  built,  came  as  no  surprise 
to  those  who  have  followed  Mr.  Kennedy's  writings.  From 
indications  received  from  many  regulating  commissions,  from 
public  utilities,  and  from  men  of  the  industry  throughout  the 
nation,  we  believe  that  this  work  of  Mr.  Kennedy's  will  become 
a  classic  authority  on  public  relations. 

Those  who  have  had  the  privilege  of  visiting  the  various  offices 
of  the  Southern  California  Edison  Company  and  there  noted  the 
frankness  of  expression,  the  courteous  treatment  of  the  public  and 
the  order  and  simplicity  that  prevail  on  all  sides,  alone  are  able 
to  fully  see  the  possibilities  of  usefulness  to  our  industry  that 
may  accrue  from  such  a  book  as  this — devoted  to  practical  ideal- 
ism in  public  service. 

ROBERT  SIBLEY, 

August,  1920.  Editor,  Journal  of  Electricity. 


WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

CHAPTER  I 
TRANSFORMING  PUBLIC  OPINION 

Perhaps  there  is  at  the  present  time  no  subject  more  constantly 
in  the  minds  of  Public  Utility  executives  and  managers  of  com- 
mercial enterprises  than  that  of  Public  Relations.  Certainly 
no  subject  is  more  discussed  when  representatives  of  such  organi- 
zations gather  together  in  committees  or  assemble  at  conventions. 
Those  who  have  followed  the  course  of  events  for  some  years  past 
can  recall  that  for  a  long  time  there  was  seemingly  a  careless 
disregard  on  the  part  of  many  Utility  Managers  as  to  the  opinion 
of  the  public  concerning  their  business  and  operations.  This 
condition  was  followed  later  by  one  of  awakening  interest  as  to 
what  the  man  in  the  street  might  be  thinking  concerning  cor- 
porations supplying  needed  service  of  various  kinds  in  his 
particular  locality.  Today  all  has  changed,  and  a  keen  anxiety 
regarding  public  opinion  is  observed  in  many  directions,  where  it 
has  not  been  noticeable  heretofore.  Solomon  has  said,  "Where 
there  is  no  vision  the  people  perish  "  and  it  would  seem  as  if  many 
utility  managers  have  seen  visions  or  dreamed  dreams  of  what 
might  happen  unless  there  were  evidenced  a  decided  change  in 
attitude  in  certain  directions. 

There  are  many  angles  to  the  subject  of  proper  Public  Relations 
and  many  theories  as  to  how  to  obtain  the  public  good  will. 
The  various  chapters  in  this  book  deal  with  some  of  the  differ- 
ent phases  in  connection  with  the  contact  between  a  Utility 
Company,  its  consumers  and  the  public  in  general.  The  ideas 
advanced  and  the  suggestions  made  are  not  of  the  theoretical 
variety  but  have  been  formulated  as  the  results  of  successful 
operation  along  the  lines  indicated. 

Notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  said  and  written  during  the 
past  few  years  on  the  subject  of  the  relations  between  public 
utility  companies  and  their  consumers,  there  undoubtedly  lurks 
in  the  minds  of  a  considerable  portion  of  the  public  an  opinion  of 
corporations  which  is   not  flattering.     To  many  an  otherwise 

1 


2  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

« 

clear  headed  man,  the  ways  of  big  corporations  are  a  dark  and 
impenetrable  mystery.     He  is  inclined  to  look  with  suspicion  on 
all  they  do.     The  millions  tossed  about  so  freely  in  annual 
reports  frequently  seem  to  him  ill-gotten  gains  that  he  would 
like  to  see   distributed  among  the  so-called   common  people. 
There   are   two   difficulties  yet  remaining  before   the  path- 
way pointing  to  better  public  opinion  can  be  cleared  of  the 
obstructions  that  block  or  impede  progress.     The  first  is  that  the 
majority  of  those  comprising  the  public  is  liable  to  consider 
Utility  Companies  collectively  rather  than  individually.     Con- 
sequently those  corporations  that  do  not  progress  in  this  respect, 
not  only  stand  in  their  own  light  but  they  help  keep  the  light  of 
truth  from  spreading.     They  also  blind  the  public  vision  to  the 
good  intentions  of  other  companies  whose  methods  may  be  more 
conciliatory  and  progressive.     The  second  difficulty  lies  in  the 
direction  of  such  Utility  Companies  as  announce  they  are  going 
to  do  thus  and  so,  with  the  idea  of  conveying  to  the  minds  of 
their  patrons  that  radical  changes -are  to  be  inaugurated  and 
strenuous  efforts  made  to  please,  and  who  do  not  live  up  to  their 
promises.     Then  there  are  other  companies  with  really  good 
intentions,  whose  officers  think  they  have  adopted  progressive 
methods  but   whose   employes  are   either  ignoring  instructions 
or  have  not  been  told  what  to  do.     Their  patrons  and  the  public 
in  general  are  not  getting  what  was  promised  and  the  people 
cannot  be  blamed,  if  in  their  disappointment,  they  say  things 
uncomplimentary  to  the  corporations  who  have  not  kept  faith 
with  them. 

It  is  generally  conceded  that  the  day  has  long  since  passed  when 
the  Management  of  any  Industrial  or  Utility  Organization  can 
ignore   Public   Opinion.     Again   it  is  asserted   that   there   are 
corporations,  whose  managing  officers  may  have  the  right  ideas 
regarding  intercourse   with  the   public— who   do   not  make  it 
their  business  to  see  that  these  ideas  are  promulgated  among 
their  assistants  and  the  employes  down  the  line.     They  do  not 
"follow  through,"  and  consequently  excellent  thoughts  and  good 
intentions  are  dissipated  and  lost,  because  they  fail  to  reach  the 
points  of  contact  where  they  would  produce  desired  results. 
There  never  was  a  time  when  the  people  at  large  have  given 
Public    Utility    Companies   such    close   attention.     These   cor- 
porations occupy  greater  prominence  than  ever  before — not  only 
because  of  the  increasing  demands  for  the  service  supplied — but 
also  because  many  utility  companies  are  looking  to  their  con- 


TRANSFORMING  PUBLIC  OPINION  3 

sumers  for  co-partners  in  the  industry  in  which  they  are  the 
ultimate  patrons.  It  is  an  axiom  that  money  flows  only  to  where 
there  is  confidence — and  confidence  is  acquired  by  many  only 
after  the  closest  scrutiny.  The  unreasoning  and  unreasonable 
consumer  is  fast  disappearing  in  territories  where  the  stan- 
dard of  public  relations  has  been  raised,  and  in  his  place  there  has 
arisen  the  thinking  individual  who  is  willing  to  meet  the  progres- 
sive company's  outstretched  hand  more  than  half  way,  and  whose 
friendship  and  good  will  become  tangible  assets. 

After  all,  it  will  usually  be  found  that  down  the  line,  most 
utility  companies  have  the  kind  of  employes  who  can  carry  out 
instructions  given  and  follow  examples  set.  It  is  for  the  manage- 
ment to  decide  what  shall  be  the  instructions  and  whose  example 
shall  be  followed.  From  the  same  materials  one  man  builds 
palaces  and  another  hovels;  one  warehouses  and  another  villas; 
bricks  and  mortar  are  mortar  and  bricks  until  the  architect  makes 
them  something  else.  It  means  the  careful  instruction  and 
continued  education  of  employes.  It  means  that  the  human 
machinery  must  be  toned  up  so  that  in  power,  speed,  efficiency 
and  endurance  it  will  be  equal  to  every  occasion  and  meet  every 
emergency.  Employes  are  as  much  a  part  of  the  organization 
as  the  president.  The  elevator  operator  meets  more  people 
than  the  general  manager — Does  he  do  it  in  the  right  way  ?  The 
troubleman  has  more  personal  contact  with  the  public  than  the 
chief  engineer — Does  he  make  a  good  impression?  The  collector 
greets  more  consumers  than  the  treasurer — Does  he  perform  the 
difficult  task  of  taking  people's  money  and  leaving  them  pleased? 
The  knack  of  saying  and  doing  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time 
is  a  wonderful  asset  in  public  relations  and  its  absence  has  been 
the  cause  of  many  a  company's  loss  and  many  a  man's  failure. 
Strangely  enough,  it  not  infrequently  happens  that  some  men 
who  have  failed  have  given  considerable  thought  to  the  subject 
of  meeting  and  dealing  with  the  people  in  a  pleasing  way.  They 
missed  the  mark  because  they  did  not  get  the  real  philosophy 
of  it.  They  have  tried  to  please  the  people — but  have  over- 
looked the  individual.  Successful  business  is  business  plus 
personality.  The  more  a  business  is  crowded  with  personality, 
the  faster  it  will  grow  and  prosper. 

The  management  of  a  company  may  announce  a  policy  regard- 
ing its  attitude  on  public  relations — and  it  is  assumed  that  this 
policy  will  be  made  known  to  all  employes,  and  by  various  means 
eventually  to  all  consumers  and  the  public  in  general.    But  one 


4  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

announcement  to  either  employes  or  the  public  will  not  accom- 
plish the  desired  result.  Those  who  have  given  the  matter  of 
publicity  and  spreading  information  a  study,  such  as  publishers, 
writers  and  big  advertisers,  know  that  the  people  do  not  learn  the 
facts  on  any  subject,  or  catch  the  ideas  it  may  be  desired  to 
convey  by  one  announcement.  They  know  it  requires  constant 
iteration  and  re-iteration — and  continuous  hammering  to  drive 
home  to  the  people  the  story  it  may  be  desired  to  implant. 

A  Western  Company  that  has  given  Public  Relations  a 
close  study  for  many  years,  has  made  another  step  forward  by 
inaugurating  a  Department  of  Greater-Service.  The  officers 
of  most  public  utility  companies  assume  that  the  service  supplied 
is  satisfactory  if  no  complaints  are  made.  This  may  appear, 
under  ordinary  conditions,  a  fair  assumption.  But  the  company 
referred  to  is  not  satisfied  with  what  may  be  termed  a  negative 
answer  as  to  conditions  of  service — it  wants  from  its  consumers 
a  positive  statement.  The  new  department  consists  of  a  staff  of 
approximately  twenty-five  men,  carefully  selected  for  the  special 
work  to  which  they  are  assigned.  These  men  have  been  patiently 
schooled  as  to  the  company's  history,  organization,  departments, 
operations,  developments,  aims,  ideas  and  practices,  and  have 
been  distributed  over  the  company's  system — one  man  to  each 
geographical  district.  Each  man  reports  through  the  local 
district  manager  to  the  head  of  the  Department  of  Greater- 
Service  in  the  General  Offices.  The  work  of  the  men  in  the 
Department  of  Greater-Service  in  each  district  will  be  fourfold: 

To  inquire  from  each  consumer  whether  or  not  the  service 
supplied  by  the  Company  is  satisfactory  in  every  respect.  This 
refers  not  only  to  the  physical  service,  but  also  to  the  consumer's 
relations  with  meter  readers,  collectors,  troublemen,  clerks, 
telephone  operators  and  such  other  employes  of  the  Company 
with  whom  he  may  come  in  contact. 

To  give  consumers,  where  the  information  is  needed  or  desired, 
details  regarding  rate  schedules  and  methods  of  charging  for 
service;  the  welfare  work  assumed  by  the  Company  in  behalf  of 
its  employes;  the  present  and  prospective  development  work 
which  is  being  carried  on  for  the  benefit  of  the  communities 
served;  the  idea  being  to  create  an  interest  in  the  Company's 
affairs  and  to  convey  the  thought  that  the  work  the  Company  is 
doing  is  for  the  benefit  of  the  territory  supplied  and  that  the 
more  rapidly  the  Company's  business  grows  and  develops,  the 
more  rapidly  will  the  State  progress  in  its  onward  march. 


-/      .-'9 


;BEATEB    service 

j^iFUEVTXC  TOAT  TO  SERVE  K 


„j,ttclilp  ii«[rtml'>: 


■JL'mj'^k-" -"  "  '""'™ 


Personal  cards 
left     by     repre- 
sentatives of  de- 
partment  of 
greater  service 


Folders  used  by  representatives  of  department  of  greater  service. 

(Facing  page  4) 


TRANSFORMING  PUBLIC  OPINION  5 

To  obtain  the  mental  attitude  of  each  consumer  interviewed, 
the  idea  being  to  find  out  if  the  consumer  is  (a)  in  accord  with  the 
Company's  operations  and  prospective  development  work;  (6)  if 
the  consumer  is  indifferent  to  what  the  Company  is  doing;  or 
(c)  if  he  is  in  any  way  antagonistic  to  the  Company. 

Assuming  that  the  service  conditions  are  satisfactory,  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  Department  of  Greater-Service  will  explain  to  the 
consumer  the  Company's  plan  for  customer-ownership  and  its 
desire  that  all  consumers,  if  it  were  possible,  should  become 
personally  interested  in  the  Company's  operations,  even  if  only 
to  a  minimum  amount. 

When  calHng  upon  a  consumer,  the  representative  of  the 
Department  of  Greater-Service  presents  and  leaves  a  card  which 
is  somewhat  unusual.  The  card  is  a  folded  one,  the  outside 
containing  the  company's  name  and  the  name  of  the  special 
representative  making  the  call.  On  the  inside  of  the  card  there 
is  printed  an  unusual  message  which  is  reproduced  here  on  op- 
posite page. 

The  company  which  has  put  into  effect  this  new  idea  of  sending 
trained  men  into  the  field  to  "look  for  trouble"  is  more  than 
satisfied  with  the  results  being  obtained.  Where  any  troubles 
are  reported,  they  are  immediately  remedied.  Where  infor- 
mation is  asked  it  is  freely  given.  The  officers  of  the  company 
are  learning  more  about  the  business  than  they  knew  before. 
Employes  are  becoming  more  alert  to  see  that  the  service  is  what 
the  management  desires — high  grade  in  every  respect.  Finally, 
consumers  are  greatly  pleased  with  the  attention  and  courtesy 
displayed  by  the  company  and  public  good  will  is  being  developed 
and  strengthened  to  a  remarkable  degree.  The  plan  is  fostering 
a  community  interest  of  the  right  sort,  and  when  neighbors  meet 
in  their  homes  they  talk  it  over.  It  is  a  greater  service  and  those 
receiving  it  are  eager  to  express  their  appreciation. 

In  military  affairs  a  commanding  officer  plans  to  capture  and 
hold  a  position.  Public  good  will  should  be  captured  and  held 
in  the  same  manner.  It  is  no  hit  or  miss  affair.  The  great 
lesson  to  be  learned  by  company  executives  and  managers  is 
that  this  much  desired  Good  Will  cannot  be  obtained  by  treating 
with  consumers  as  classes  or  communities — but  rather  by  giving 
recognition  to  the  individuahty  of  each  whose  friendship  is 
sought.  For  the  public  is  made  up  of  individuals  and  it  is  the 
man  in  the  street  and  the  woman  in  the  home  who  mould  Public 
Opinion. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  POINT  OF  VIEW 

There  are  very  few  people  of  whom  it  may  be  said  "eyes  have 
they  but  they  see  not."  Ahnost  everyone  with  eyes  sees,  but 
some  see  more  than  others,  or  perhaps  it  would  be  better  to  say 
that  some  are  more  impressionable  than  others.  The  impression 
made  upon  an  individual  about  any  person  or  thing  usually  has 
lasting  results,  and  fixes  his  point  of  view.  Not  long  ago  a  large 
consumer  of  a  Pacific  Coast  company  called  on  one  of  the  officers 
of  the  company  to  talk  over  some  important  business.  In  the 
course  of  the  conversation  the  consumer  remarked,  "Mr.  Blank, 
I  have  come  to  you,  because  to  me  you  are  the  power  company." 
Of  course  that  officer  immediately  took  a  mental  inventory  of  his 
words  and  actions,  to  discover  if  he  were  making  a  noise  like  a 
hundred  million  dollar  corporation.  It  is  a  fact  that  that  same 
remark  applies  to  every  one  connected  with  a  utility  company, 
and  for  that  reason  each  employe  should  have  due  regard  as  to  his 
appearance,  and  be  concerned  about  the  impression  he  makes, 
so  that  the  public  may  always  be  imbued  with  the  fa(2t  that  his 
particular  company  stands  for  what  is  best  in,  and  for,  each 
community  in  which  it  operates. 

How  THE  Public  Jxjdges 

Now,  an  electric  utility  company  may  be  large  or  small — may 
operate  over  an  extended  area  or  in  a  limited  field,  yet  in  each 
case  the  importance  of  appearances  is  relatively  the  same. 
Sometimes  in  the  West,  it  happens  that  companies  grow  with 
leaps  and  bounds,  and  even  their  employes  cannot  keep  up  with 
their  rapid  expansion.  However,  the  individual  customers  of  a 
utility  company  are  not  familiar  with  the  immensity  of  a  corpora- 
tion's interests.  As  a  rule,  they  are  familiar  only  with  that  part 
of  the  company's  property  which  is  in  their  immediate  vicinity. 
Here  again  one  faces  practically  the  same  condition  relative  to 
the  company's  properties  as  has  already  been  referred  to  relative 
to  the  company's  employes;  that  is,  the  buildings  and  property  in 
any  territory  represent  to  the  people  in  that  territory  the  utility 

G 


THE  POINT  OF  VIEW  7 

company  to  which  they  belong.  These  people  may  hear  of  the 
great  water  power  plants  which  the  company  may  have  in  other 
counties;  they  may  hear  of  long  distance  transmission  lines  built 
of  steel  towers  and  possessed  by  the  company  elsewhere;  they 
may  hear  of  million  dollar  steam  plants  or  handsome  buildings 
in  adjacent  cities,  but,  as  a  rule,  they  are  not  familiar  with  the 
details.  All  they  know  of  their  own  knowledge  about  the  comp- 
any is  what  they  see  in  their  own  neighborhood.  Consequently 
the  buildings,  offices  and  property  of  the  utility  company  in  their 
immediate  vicinity  stand  for  the  whole  company. 

The  sage  Polonius,  in  his  advice  to  his  son,  among  other  things 
said: 

"Costly  thy  habit  as  thy  purse  can  buy, 
But  not  expressed  in  fancy, 
Rich,  not  gaudy,  for  the  apparel 
Oft  proclaims  the  man." 

It  is  not  within  the  scope  of  this  article  to  go  into  exact  details 
regarding  an  employe's  personal  apparel.  A  definite  statement 
cannot  be  made  as  to  whether  an  employe  should  wear  black  or 
tan  shoes,  what  color  in  necktie  is  best  suited  for  certain  ages  and 
occasions,  and  when  and  where  riotous  socks  may  be  permissible. 
But  it  is  well  to  note  the  last  words  of  the  foregoing  quotation — 
"For  the  apparel  oft  proclaims  the  man."  From  the  point  of 
view  of  the  customer,  an  employe's  appearance  is  important  to 
the  company.  If  the  employe  be  unkempt  looking,  if  he  needs  a 
shave,  if  his  collar  is  soiled,  his  clothes  spotted,  and  his  shoes 
unbrushed,  he  certainly  cannot  make  a  good  impression  upon  the 
customer — and  yet  to  the  customer,  that  employe  represents  the 
company.  A  corporation  is  only  an  aggregation  of  men,  and 
the  faults  and  failings  of  the  individual  apply  to  and  are  charged 
against  the  company.  It  is  therefore  apparent  that  company 
managers  should  see  to  it  that  such  employes  as  come  in  contact 
with  the  public  are  clean  and  tidy  in  their  apparel,  and  present  a 
creditable  appearance. 

Impressing  the  Customer 

Now,  let  us  turn  to  the  company's  properties,  and  study  the 
effect  of  their  appearance  upon  the  public  in  general  and  upon 
the  company's  interests  in  particular.  Let  us  measure  the  ad- 
vantages if  these  properties  are  well  maintained,  and  estimate  the 
disadvantages  if  the  properties  are  neglected.     Let  us  look  at  an 


8  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

electric  property,  where  the  transmission  and  distribution  lines 
have  been  carefully  planned  and  admirably  maintained.     They 
do  not  need  any  lengthy  explanation  as  to  why  they  are  this  way 
or  that  way.     Such  lines  speak  for  themselves,  and  what  they  say 
is  highly  creditable  to  the  company  and  the  company's  engineers. 
If  we  step  into  the  stations  and  sub-stations  of  the  ideal  company, 
as  a  rule  we  see  equipments  that  can  be  recognized  as  standard 
in  their  make,  and  modern  in  their  methods  of  installation.     In 
looking  at  the  surroundings  within  the  stations,  we  find  that 
everything  is  neat,  and  tidy  and  ship-shape.     It  is  a  good  plan 
for  a  company  manager  to  ask  himself  and  his  assistants,  "Are 
our  lines  maintained  as  they  should  be?     Are  the  external  and 
internal  appearances  of  our  stations  and  substations  as  clean 
and  presentable  as  they  might  be?     Are  the  ofl&ces,  w^arehouses, 
storerooms  and  garages  kept  in  a  manner  which  will  impress 
the  visitor  with  the  thorough  up-to-dateness  of  the  company, 
and  give  him  a  full  appreciation  of  the  value  of  its  property,  and 
the   importance   of   its   position   in   the   community?"     If  the 
manager  will  regularly  go  over  and  inspect  the  properties  under 
his  care,  he  will  learn  in  what  respects  his  management  may  be 
weak,  and  in  what  directions  the  properties  may  be  making 
decidedly  bad  impressions  by  their  outward  appearances,  visible 
to  the  public  eye.     If  he  scrutinizes  closely  in  some  directions 
he  may  even  note  the  signs  of  coming  degeneration.     Perhaps 
the  causes  pointing  to  the  seeming  degenerate  condition  may  indi- 
cate that  his  assistants  have  gotten  into  a  rut,  and  they  do  not  see 
what  is  going  on  around  them.     Ruts  such  as  these  are  very 
dangerous,  and  should  be  as  carefully  shunned  as  one  would  avoid 
a  wasting  disease. 

How  Not  to  Do  It 

Concerning  the  internal  and  external  appearances  of  a  comp- 
any's offices  and  buildings — the  subject  should  be  looked  at 
from  two  standpoints:  (1)  cleanliness,  and  (2)  tidiness.  It  is 
well  to  understand  thoroughly  the  difference  between  these  two 
words.  A  building  may  be  absolutely  clean  from  top  to  bottom, 
and  yet  be  uninviting  because  of  its  untidiness.  How  often  it 
happens  that  the  office  of  a  utility  company  is  really  unattractive 
and  yet  those  who  work  in  the  office  either  do  not  see  it,  or  do  not 
care  about  its  condition!  Windows  fly-marked,  floors  dirty, 
counters  and  shelving  dusty,  and  ceilings  ornamented  with  cob- 


THE  POINT  OF  VIEW  9 

webs.     In  addition  to  this,  the  appearances  of  the  appHances  on 
exhibition  are  often  of  such  a  character  that  prospective  cus- 
tomers would  need  to  be  hard  pressed  before  they  could  be 
induced  to  purchase.     The  counters  inside  the  office  are  often 
littered   with   torn   papers,   ragged   books,    burned-out   lamps, 
disabled  appliances,  broken  pencils,  superannuated  pens,  empty 
ink  wells,  and  other  materials  and  rubbish  scattered  in  dis- 
heartening confusion.     If  the  office  is  sometimes  in  a  bad  way, 
the  store  room  is  frequently  worse,  and  in  some  instances  almost 
borders  on  chaos.     At  some  locations  supplies  are  not  kept  in 
anything  like  proper  order.     They  appear  to  be  unpacked  and 
thrown  about  in  a  manner  regardless  of  any  idea  of  regularity, 
and  no  attempt  made  toward  accessibility  and  condensation  of 
space.     It  would  seem  to  be  an  impossibility,  where  stores  are 
kept  under  such  conditions,  for  anyone  to  have  a  proper  know- 
ledge of  what  is  in  stock.     It  must  also  mean  an  endless  waste  of 
time,  in  walking  around  piles  of  goods,  and  taking  needless  steps 
in  going  from  one  part  of  a  room  to  another.     It  is  fair  to  state 
that  conditions  such  as  these  are  not  general — at  the  same  time 
it  will  be  noted  they  still  exist  in  too  many  places. 

The  Psychology  of  Environment 

Now,  let  us  look  at  the  effects  of  dirtiness  and  untidiness.  In 
the  first  place,  what  effect  has  it  upon  the  company's  employes, 
if  such  conditions  are  allowed  to  continue?  A  constant  condi- 
tion of  dirt  on  the  floor  will  eventually  produce  clouded  thoughts; 
dust  on  the  furniture  and  fixtures  will  surely  result  in  a  blurred 
vision;  and  cobwebs  on  the  ceiling  will  lead  to  cobwebs  in  the 
brain.  A  manager  may  well  ask  himself  candidly,  "How  can  a 
man  work  his  mind  and  body  to  the  best  advantage  under  such 
conditions?" 

The  reverse,  in  the  way  of  cleanliness  and  tidiness,  means 
brightness,  acceleration  in  work,  and  a  cheerfulness  which  will 
permeate  not  only  among  those  in  the  office,  but  will  spread  out- 
side far  beyond  the  confines  of  the  building.  It  will  also  mean 
that  results  will  be  accomplished  much  more  quickly,  as  there 
will  be  less  time  wasted  in  finding  things  which  should  not  be 
lost,  and  in  transferring  misplaced  articles  from  where  they 
should  not  be  to  where  they  belong. 


10  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

The  Hospitable  Office 

Next,  what  is  the  effect  upon  the  company's  customers?  If  a 
customer  enters  an  office  which  is  not  clean  and  tidy,  is  he  going 
to  remain  there  any  longer  than  is  abolutely  necessary  to  transact 
his  business?  Will  he  stay  to  tell  anyone  how  much  pleased  he 
is  with  his  electric  service,  and  will  be  browse  around  to  leave 
himself  open  for  suggestions  as  to  what  additional  electrical 
appliances  he  could  advantageously  use  in  his  store  or  residence? 
When  he  goes  home,  will  be  carry  with  him  a  good  impression 
to  tell  his  wife  and  family?  The  answer  is,  "No!"  The  appear- 
ance of  such  an  office  will  work  against  the  company's  interests. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  a  customer  goes  into  an  office  that  is  bright, 
clean  and  inviting,  he  will  be  in  a  better  mood  to  remain  and 
make  inquiries.  He  will  take  his  time  to  look  around,  and  listen 
to  what  may  be  said  concerning  the  utility  of  certain  current 
consuming  devices.  Maybe,  if  the  show-room  looks  attractive, 
he  will  stop  to  inquire  about  some  of  the  exhibits  which  are  new 
to  him,  and  such  inquiries,  as  a  rule,  eventually  lead  to  sales. 
When  he  goes  home,  he  will  tell  his  wife  and  possibly  his  neigh- 
bors about  the  things  which  aroused  his  interest,  and  suggest 
that  they,  too,  drop  into  the  office  and  look  them  over. 

There  is  one  other  phase  of  this  question  of  appearances,  as  far 
as  a  utility  company  is  concerned,  which  is  not  always  appreci- 
ated by  its  employes.  A  large  amount  of  the  money  put  into 
the  development  of  the  company's  business  comes  from  outside 
sources.  Bankers  and  others  at  home  or  abroad,  who  are  invest- 
ing in  the  company's  securities,  are  always  interested  in  the 
management  and  operation  of  the  business,  and  sometimes  they 
have  ways  and  means  of  finding  out  matters  in  connection  with 
what  is  being  done,  or  left  undone,  which  are  supplementary  to 
the  reports  and  statements  issued  through  the  executive  offices 
of  the  company.  A  manager  never  knows  when  a  representative 
of  some  of  these  moneyed  people,  who  purchase  and  sell  his 
company's  securities,  may  be  looking  over  the  property — may 
be  examining  transmission  and  distribution  systems;  may  be 
peeping  into  electric  stations,  or  dropping  into  an  office  to 
make  inquiries  about  rates  and  local  conditions — and  all  the 
time  he  may  have  the  appearance  of  some  unsuspecting  visitor 
considering  the  question  of  locating  in  the  city.  Perhaps  the 
manager  would  be  surprised  if  he  saw  some  of  the  reports  that 
these  unsuspicious  looking  strangers  send  back  to  the   holders 


THE  POINT  OF  VIEW  11 

of  the  company's  securities.  It  requires  no  stretch  of  imagina- 
tion for  a  public  utility  manager  to  understand  that  his  business 
is  constantly  under  the  closest  scrutiny.  He  and  his  assistants 
are  the  custodians  of  the  property  and  they  have  no  more  essen- 
tial work  than  that  of  conserving  the  company's  interests  by 
maintaining  everything  in  good  condition  and  giving  due  regard 
to  appearances.  Such  care  will  make  the  desired  impression 
upon  the  employe,  the  consumer  and  the  investor,  and  give  to 
each  of  them  a  proper  idea  of  the  company's  standing  and  im- 
portance from  their  particular  Point  of  View. 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  VALUE  OF  COURTESY 

Most  men  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  average  Chinaman,  as 
he  is  known  in  America,  may  be  considered  unobserving,  un- 
impressionable and  more  or  less  of  a  stoic.  To  such  men  the 
following  incident  may  be  surprising.  Not  long  ago,  a  Chinese 
vegetable  dealer  entered  one  of  the  offices  of  an  electric  company 
in  California  to  pay  a  bill.  After  finishing  his  business,  he  went 
out  to  his  wagon  which  was  standing  in  front  of  the  office,  and 
filling  a  basket  with  choice  fruit,  brought  it  in  and  presented  it  to 


tie     cicA'rvou>l€</ae    uUut     fAa/n/s     Oie 

MKOf  M   vour  'remifta-nce  ta/uc/i  na-i 

ieen  crediCeci  fo  ucwh  €icccou7vt. 


An  acknowledgment  of  receipt  which  goes  a  little  beyond  the  mere  perfunctory 
stamping  of  "Paid"  on  a  bill  is  a  courtesy  much  appreciated  by  the  customer. 

the  young  lady  at  the  counter  who  had  waited  on  him.  The  local 
manager,  noting  the  incident,  stepped  up  to  the  Chinaman  and 
told  him  he  considered  that  he  had  done  a  very  nice  thing  and 
expressed  his  appreciation  by  personally  thanking  him.  The 
Chinaman  looked  at  the  manager  for  a  moment  and  then  said, 
"She  smiled  and  thanked  me  when  I  paid  my  bill."  Without 
another  word  he  went  out  of  the  office,  climbed  into  his  wagon, 
and  drove  away.  If  such  a  little  attention  is  noticed  by  an 
uneducated  MongoHan,  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  the  average 
American  will  appreciate  any  similar  consideration  which  tends 
to  demonstrate  that  his  existence  is  recognized. 

12 


THE  VALUE  OF  COURTESY  13 

Intangible  Assets 

There  are  today  approximately  six  thousand  central  station 
and  municipal  electric  plants  in  the  United  States,  representing 
a  total  investment  of  over  two  and  one-half  billion  dollars.  Each 
one  of  these  plants  possesses  certain  intangible  assets,  which  now 
and  then  are  inventoried  for  sentimental  or  business  reasons. 
Among  the  intangible  assets  which  it  is  difficult  for  the  uninitiated 
to  appraise  is  a  reputation  for  courtesy.  Yet,  if  a  central  station 
holds  such  a  reputation,  it  necessarily  possesses  a  valuable, 
though  maybe  an  intangible  asset,  for,  beyond  peradventure,  it  is 
the  best  possible  adjunct  the  central  station  has  as  a  revenue 
producer. 

The  electric  distributing  business,  as  conducted  by  the  modern 
central  station,  is  a  vast  machine.  The  essence  of  operation  in 
connection  with  the  machine  is  good  management,  and  good 
management  simply  means  running  the  business  with  all  parts 
in  harmony.  In  order  to  obtain  harmony,  there  must  be  lubri- 
cation, and  as  oil  lubricates  the  engine  and  keeps  down  friction, 
so  does  courtesy  in  business  intercourse  smooth  out  the  rough 
places,  disarm  unreasonable  criticism  and  invite  good  will. 

Under  a  Microscope 

It  is  probable  there  never  was  a  time  when  public  utility  com- 
panies were  as  closely  scrutinized  as  they  are  today.  Undoub- 
tedly there  are  reasons  for  present  conditions  in  this  regard.  In 
the  first  place,  the  public  has  gradually  learned  that  the  com- 
modities handled  by  such  corporations,  which  once  were  con- 
sidered luxuries  for  the  few,  have  now  become  necessities  for  the 
many.  In  the  second  place,  through  newspapers,  magazines 
and  other  literature,  the  every  day  man  has  learned  something 
more  or  less  correct  about  the  manufacture  and  distribution 
of  electricity,  and  he  considers  himself  qualified,  as  a  student 
and  a  consumer,  to  have  something  to  say  on  the  subject  when- 
ever the  opportunity  occurs.  In  the  third  place,  it  must  always 
be  remembered  that  in  the  sale  of  an  intangible  commodity  there 
is  more  or  less  mystery,  and  this  feature  is  often  the  cause  of 
criticism  and  controversy.  Further,  during  recent  years,  almost 
every  state  has  appointed  a  public  utility  commission,  and 
through  the  commission's  labors  the  troubles  of  consumers  and 
the  difficulties  of  the  companies  are  alike  laid  bare  to  the  public 


14 


WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 


eye.  No  matter  what  may  be  said,  truthfully  or  otherwise, 
about  the  methods  of  public  utilities  in  the  past,  it  may  be  safely 
asserted  today  that  most  utilities  are  anxious  to  put  their  houses 
in  order,  so  that  they  may  be  able  to  withstand  the  closest  scru- 
tiny of  friend  or  foe. 


tsuiM  rarai  UD  nECTRio  oovpikt 


Saa  U^ol,  Califorolft 
Ootot«r  1,  1919. 

Hr.  Jolm  T.  nlaon 
ElO  Alnndo  Str<«t 
Clt7 

Sear  Sin 

I  am  pleased  to  lean  that  7011  have  tieoose  a  oonaojaer  of 
the  Blask  Power  aid  Bleotrlo  CooQiaiiy.  at  the  aboTe  addreBS,  anl  teJce 
tble  opportunity  of  thanking  70a  for  tout  patrona^.     It  is  1^  alo 
to  neke  yon  feel  "at  hone"  with  fnir  aerrloe,  eo  that  all  the  detalle 
of  evx  taalneee  relatione  nay  be  eotirely  eatlafaotor;  to  you* 

Xf  at 'ny  tlaa  yea  do  not  reoelre  the  coorteoMe  and  pntejit 
ftttoDtloB  to  vhloh  yon  are  «tl*tled,  1  will  deem  It  a  faTor  If  yon  will 
coBBoniaate  with  d»  over  the  telephone  or  by  lall,  and  thnj  laxs  It 
poesible  for  ae  to  F^lve  yonr  wiehee  17  pereonal  attention. 

Tcnre  eery  truly. 


/^ J      District  Manager 


Why  not  let  the  new  customer  know  that  you  are  personally   aware    of    his 
existence  and  stand  ready  to  serve  him  at  all  times? 


The  Cornerstone  of  Success 

The  two  greatest  factors  in  the  success  of  any  central  station 
business  undoubtedly  are  courtesy  and  enthusiasm.  These 
attributes  must  not  be  possessed  solely  by  the  president  or 
manager,  but  must  prevail  throughout  all  departments,  and  in 
all  ranks.  It  is  true  that  a  utility  company's  business  may  be 
the  only  one  of  its  kind  in  the  community,  and  that  the  public 
must  go  to  it  if  service  be  desired.  It  is  well  to  remember  that 
that  condition  does  not  make  the  public  less  critical.  If  con- 
sumers are  treated  with  consideration,  it  is  particularly  pleasing 


THE  VALUE  OF  COURTESY 


15 


to  them,  but  if  with  discourtesy,  it  rankles  through  and  through, 
because  of  the  fact  that  they  have  no  alternative,  but  must  con- 
tinue to  do  business  with  the  same  company.  It  is  well  to 
remember  that  many  men  have  short  memories  for  favors  and  all 
men  have  long  memories  for  injuries,  whether  real  or  fancied. 
Many  of  those  interested  have  reason  to  regret  that  there  does 
not  always  exist  a  proper  sympathy  between  a  utility  company 
and  its  consumers.  The  consumers  are  sometimes  liable  to  think 
they  are  being  overcharged  and  otherwise  imposed  upon,  and 
the  employes  of  a  company  are  too  ready  to  think  consumers  and 


THANK  YOU 

^^OU  have  been  kind  enough  to  favor  us  with 
your  patronage  to-day.  We  hope  that  you 
are  pleased  with  your  purchase,  but  if  you  are 
not,  bring  the  goods  back  and  we  will  exchange 
them  or  refund  your  money.  It  is  our  desire  to 
satisfy  each  individual  taste  and  with  that   end    in 


This  form,  printed  on  small  bags  or  wrapping  paper  used  for  enclosing  purchases 
of  lamps  or  appliances,  is  a  friendly  reminder  to  the  purchaser  of  the  company's 
attitude  towards  its  customers. 

the  public  "kick"  too  easily  and  too  frequently.  But  it  might 
be  well  if  the  employe  would  sometimes  put  himself  in  the  cus- 
tomer's place,  and  realize  that  it  is  not  an  unreasonable  thing 
for  a  man  to  ask  questions  and  seek  explanation  about  what  he 
does  not  comprehend,  particularly  when  he  is  paying  out  his 
money.  No  utility  company  can  afford  to  be  independent  of 
the  public.  It  is  the  public  whom  it  must  please,  and  look  to 
for  its  continued  existence — the  same  public  that  does  not  forget 
to  remember  some  things  which  please  and  some  things  which 
displease.  No  matter  how  big  or  powerful  a  corporation  may  be, 
it  is  vulnerable — its  very  greatness  sometimes  making  it  a  bigger 
and  better  target;  and  as  far  as  independence  is  concerned,  the 
man  who  runs  a  peanut  stand  on  a  pushcart,  and  has  only  a  five- 
dollar  capital  invested  in  his  business,  is  a  thousand  times  more 


16  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

independent  than  the  corporation  with  its  millions.  If  business 
leaves  his  corner,  the  peanut  man  can  push  his  cart  along  to 
another  location,  but  the  public  utility  company  puts  its  money 
in  the  ground,  and  cannot  take  it  out,  no  matter  what  conditions 
may  arise. 

It  seems  reasonable  to  study  the  subject  of  courtesy  from  two 
standpoints.  The  first  is  the  kind  which  may  well  be  considered 
desirable  between  the  employes  of  a  central  station  and  the 
public,  and  which  might  be  termed  conventional  courtesy.  The 
second  is  the  kind  of  courtesy  that  reaches  out,  beyond  the 
actual  point  of  personal  contact,  and  follows  people  to  their 
homes.  This,  perhaps,  may  best  be  described  as  aggressive 
courtesy. 

The  Daily  Round 

Now,  it  so  happens  there  are  few  businesses  which  give  so 
many  opportunities  for  the  display  of  conventional  courtesy  as 
that  connected  with  the  service  of  a  central  station  company. 
The  public  is  made  up  of  human  beings,  and  they  all  appreciate 
and  enjoy  considerate  treatment.  There  is  absolutely  no  excuse 
for  inconsiderate  employes  handing  out  to  the  company's  patrons 
hauteur,  indifference,  brusqueness  or  any  form  of  discourtesy. 
Every  man  connected  with  a  central  station  can  do  something 
each  day  to  help  along  his  company's  business.  By  careless 
inattention  he  may  likewise  do  something  that  will  daily  produce 
great  injury  to  its  interests.  The  public  does  not  measure  or 
judge  a  company  by  the  acts  of  its  president,  officers  or  directors. 
They  may  be  excellent  men  of  high  standing  in  the  community, 
but  they  are  usually  known  to  only  a  few  of  the  company's 
customers.  The  men  who  act  as  clerks,  salesmen,  collectors, 
meter-readers  and  troublemen,  are  the  men  who  see  the  cus- 
tomers in  the  office  or  meet  them  in  their  homes,  who  actually 
represent  the  company  in  its  intercourse  with  the  public,  and 
it  is  through  the  words  and  actions  of  these  men  that  the  public 
commends  or  condemns  their  company.  A  central  station  busi- 
ness is  not  confined  to  any  one  class  of  people — all  classes  must 
be  dealt  with.  It  goes  without  saying  that  in  the  matter  of 
treatment  there  should  be  no  distinctions  or  discriminations 
between  the  big  and  the  little,  the  high  and  the  low,  and  the  rich 
and  the  poor.  All  are  equally  entitled  to  courteous  attention, 
and  all  should  receive  it. 


THE  VALUE  OF  COURTESY  17 

Handling  Complaints 

The  importance  of  the  complaint  department  of  a  utility- 
company  cannot  be  too  highly  estimated.  Upon  the  manner  in 
which  this  end  of  the  business  is  handled,  largely  depends  the 
friendship  of  the  company's  customers,  and  the  growth  and  pros- 
perity of  the  company  itself.  The  proper  treatment  of  com- 
plaints from  existing  consumers  is  more  important  than  the 
method  of  managing  the  new  business  department.  Satisfied 
consumers  almost  invariably  become  active  agents  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  company's  business.     On  the  other  hand,  it  is 


rOMM    C-SI4 


IN  SUBMITTrNG  THE  ENCLOSED  BILL  THS  FINAL 
ONE  FOR  YOU  AT  THAT  ADDRESS.  THE  SOUTHERN  CAL- 
IFORNIA EDISON  COMPANY  TAKES  THIS  OPPORTUNITY 
OF  STATING  THAT  IT  HAS  ENJOYED  THE  PLEASANT 
RELATIONS  WHICH  HAVE  EXISTED  IN  THE  PAST  AND 
HOPES  THAT  THEY  MAY  SHORTLY  BE  RESUMED.  IF  NOT 
IMMEDIATELY  AT  SOME  OTHER  LOCATION.  PERHAPS  AT 
A  LATER  DATE  WHEN  YOU  MAY  AGAIN  BE  IN  NEED  OF 
ITS  SERVICE. 


Courtesy  which  follows  the  customer  even  beyond  the  formal  termination  of 
business  relationships  will  bring  returns  in  good-will  which  are  invaluable  to  the 
company. 

not  difficult  to  estimate  how  much  the  growth  of  a  business  may 
be  retarded  by  dissatisfied  customers  who  are  invariably  sore 
through  lack  of  proper  attention  and  a  little  timely  courtesy. 
The  more  people  a  company  can  persuade  to  think  favorably  of 
its  business — the  faster  it  will  grow.  As  a  man  thinks,  so  he  will 
talk,  and  a  company  with  pleased  consumers  will  have  many 
working  overtime  for  it,  whose  names  do  not  appear  on  the  pay- 
roll. 

One  of  the  best  plans  a  central  station  manager  can  adopt  as  a 
means  of  educating  employes  along  proper  lines,  is  to  regularly 
hold  demonstration  classes,  the  object  being  to  show  what  should 
be  said  and  done  under  certain  conditions  which  may  be  more  or 
less  difficult  to  handle.  Once  each  month  would  not  be  too  often 
to  get  certain  employes  together.  Some  could  represent  com- 
plaining customers  who  come  to  tell  their  grievances,  and  other 


18  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

employes  should  receive  the  imaginary  complaints  and  dispose 
of  them  in  a  proper  manner. 

There  should  be  plenty  of  criticism  and  discussion  and  if 
earnestly  handled,  much  benefit  will  accrue  from  such  meetings. 
Employes  need  to  be  shown  the  importance  of  patience  and  self- 
control.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  a  few  customers  may  be  utterly 
unreasonable,  and  sometimes  even  insulting,  when  making  their 
complaints,  and  occasionally  an  employe  who  may  be  receiving 
a  complaint  will  have  to  use  restraint  to  keep  from  getting  into  a 
fighting  mood.  However,  although  a  man  may  hold  an  awful 
tempest  within  himself,  it  won't  break  loose  if  he  keeps  his 
tongue  tied  down — and  under  circumstances  of  this  kind,  a 
tied  tongue  is  safer  than  a  loose  one. 

If  a  customer  has  a  complaint  rankling  in  his  breast,  it  is  well 
to  get  it  out.  Each  complaint  is  an  opportunity  to  make  a  new 
friend,  and  friends  made  this  way  are  the  sort  who  will  gladly 
prove  themselves  friendly  when  the  occasion  offers.  Little  or 
much  may  be  done  by  an  employe  to  satisfy  a  complainant,  but 
the  main  thing  is  to  make  him  feel  that  his  complaint  was  listened 
to  with  attentive  consideration,  that  an  interest  was  taken  in  his 
trouble,  and  a  determination  was  shown  to  make  matters  right. 
What  may  have  been  given  the  complainant  in  the  way  of  an 
allowance,  or  what  may  have  been  promised  to  improve  his 
service  conditions  are  only  of  secondary  importance  to  the  com- 
plaining consumer.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  a  complaint 
may,  at  times,  even  be  welcomed,  because  of  the  opportunity  it 
gives  to  strengthen  the  list  of  satisfied  consumers.  It  is  not  going 
too  far  to  state  that  no  adverse  criticism  of  a  company  should  be 
permitted  to  go  unchallenged.  The  man  who  adversely  criticizes 
should  be  interviewed  in  a  courteous  manner,  and  with  a  real 
desire  to  please.  The  critic  will  not  be  any  worse  for  the  tactful 
interview,  and  the  chances  are  he  will  feel  better  toward  the 
company  and  its  business. 

Aggressive  Courtesy 

The  form  of  courtesy  which  may  be  termed  aggressive  is  often 
evidenced  along  educational  and  publicity  lines.  This  policy 
is  one  which  points  the  way  for  consumers  to  remove  the  causes 
for  trouble  by  displ-aying  proper  care  in  the  use  of  their  service, 
and  frequently  invites  consumers  to  bring  in  their  complaints, 
sometimes  even  before  the  consumers  themselves  have  realized 


THE  VALUE  OF  COURTESY  19 

that  they  might  have  occasion  to  complain.  Every  possible 
means  should  be  used  to  convince  consumers  that  they  are  getting 
all  they  are  paying  for;  that  there  is  in  reality  no  mystery  about 
the  electrical  business  and  that  electric  current  may  be  accurately 
measured  and  correctly  billed.  Courteous  efforts  along  these 
lines  help  to  establish  confidence,  and  if  confidence  is  maintained, 
it  means  more  electric  energy  will  be  freely  and  willingly  con- 
sumed. Individuals  are  fast  learning  the  value  of  politeness.  It 
is  estimated  that  the  people  of  the  United  States  pay  over  eight 
million  dollars  annually  to  use  the  word  "please"  in  their  tele- 
grams. That  is — this  large  amount  of  money  is  paid  for  the 
word  "please"  when  added  to  the  stated  ten  words — or  whatever 
the  number  may  be.  It  is  creditable  to  the  people  of  America 
that  the  word  "please"  is  so  highly  valued  and  the  cost  of  insert- 
ing it  in  telegrams  is  paid  without  murmur. 

Along  the  lines  of  aggressive  courtesy,  a  Central  Station 
company  has  many  opportunities  to  impress  its  customers  and 
the  public  with  its  sincere  desire  to  supply  good  service.  This 
good  service  does  not  alone  mean  that  an  ample  supply  of  electric 
energy  shall  always  be  available,  but  that  all  the  niceties  in  the 
intercourse  between  the  company  and  its  customers  will  be 
cheerfully  observed.  It  would  be  well  for  the  Central  Station 
manager  to  see  that  these  opportunities  are  not  overlooked. 
When  a  new  customer  is  taken  on,  it  is  an  opportunity  to  send  a 
courteous  letter  which  will  surely  interest  and  please  the  recipi- 
ent. While  giving  assurances  of  personal  interest  and  good 
service,  the  letter  might  readily  point  the  way  for  the  consumer 
to  find  additional  uses  for  the  commodity  supplied.  When  the 
consumer  sends  a  check  in  payment  of  his  account,  there  is  an 
opportunity  to  send  a  nicely  worded  card  of  appreciation  with  the 
receipt.  When  a  consumer  makes  a  purchase  of  lamps  or  any 
small  appliances,  the  bag  or  paper  in  which  the  purchases  are 
carried  away  might  well  have  printed  upon  it  a  word  of  thanks 
for  patronage  given,  and  a  desire  expressed  for  its  continuance. 
And  even  when  a  customer  may  be  moving  away  and  discon- 
tinuing service,  there  might  be  sent  with  the  closing  bill  a  card 
expressing  the  company's  appreciation  of  past  pleasant  relations 
and  a  hope  that  they  may  be  renewed  at  some  future  time. 
"Thank  you"  is  pleasant  to  hear,  and  not  objectionable  when 
seen.  If  these  words  are  stamped  upon  a  receipted  bill  or  stuck 
up  in  a  conspicuous  place  over  a  cashier's  desk,  they  have  some 


20  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

value,  particularly  if  the  cashier  happens  to  think  he  is  too  big  or 
too  busy  to  utter  these  magic  words  himself. 

A  Good  Investment 

To  the  man  who  is  habitually  courteous,  there  comes  an  inward 
satisfaction,  which  is  a  continuous  fountain  of  pleasure.  There 
is  more  truth  than  poetry  in  the  words  credited  to  Admiral  Sir 
Joseph  Porter,  K.  C.  B.  in  the  opera  H.  M.  S.  "Pinafore:" 

"For  I  hold  upon  the  seas 
The  expression,  'if  you  please' 
A  particularly  gentlemanly  tone  implants." 

Be  he  on  land  or  sea,  the  courteous  man  cannot  fail  to  attract 
friends  and  disarm  enemies. 

Courtesy  does  not  mean  palaver,  bowing  and  scraping — but 
common,  ordinary  every-day  politeness — the  kind  that  can  give 
back  a  smile  for  a  frown  and  always  show  a  desire  to  please. 
This  sort  of  courtesy  is  a  fine  art,  and  when  consistently  prac- 
ticed, will  spread  sunshine  in  places  that  would  otherwise  be 
gloomy.  Beyond  any  shadow  of  doubt,  courtesy  is  of  incompara- 
ble value  in  the  operation  and  upbuilding  of  a  Central  Station 
business.  It  costs  so  little  and  means  so  much.  It  is  the  easy 
way  to  get  along,  represents  no  expenditure,  yet  never  fails  to 
yield  handsome  returns. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  MAN  IN  THE  STREET 

If  there  is  any  class  of  business  which  is  at  all  times  on  trial 
before  the  great  court  of  Public  Opinion  it  is  that  of  the  Public 
Utility  Corporation.  The  establishments  of  the  merchant,  the 
manufacturer  and  other  industries  are  operated  from  eight  to 
ten  hours  daily — on  working  days  only — but  the  Central  Station 
Company  must  be  ready  to  supply  instant  service  day  and  night, 
week-days  and  Sundays,  feast  days  and  fast  days,  high  days  and 
holidays.  The  jury  is  in  constant  session  taking  cognizance  of 
the  evidence  which  is  being  given,  and  be  the  testimony  good  or 
bad,  honest  or  dishonest,  worthy  or  unworthy,  no  item  is  over- 
looked when  the  time  arrives  to  review,  sum  up  and  render  a 
verdict.  The  Utility  Company  cannot  select  its  jurors  as  they 
are  selected  by  the  opposing  attorneys  in  a  trial  in  court.  Its 
jurors  are  selected  by  the  destiny  that  groups  men  together  in 
cities  and  communities.  These  jurors  may  not  be  challenged,  but 
must  be  accepted  with  all  the  bias  or  prejudice  they  may  bring 
to  the  trial.  Consequently  it  may  be  the  part  of  wisdom  for  the 
heads  of  Public  Utility  organizations  to  study  the  jurors — 
— to  analyze  and  diagnose  any  causes  for  suspicion,  preju- 
dice and  opposition  to  the  end  that  the  evidence  may  be  so 
influenced  and  directed  by  liberal  policies  and  enlightened  man- 
agement that  the  verdict  may  be  a  source  of  every-day  satis- 
faction. Certain  conditions  surrounding  the  operation  of  a 
Public  Utility's  business  are  fixed  and  cannot  be  altered,  and 
such  being  the  case,  operation  should  be  so  adjusted  that  these 
conditions  may  be  recognized,  and,  if  possible,  used  to  advantage. 
It  is  as  much  advisable  for  a  corporation  to  be  philosophical 
when  dealing  with  the  inevitable,  as  it  is  for  the  individual — both 
may  well  agree  with  James  Whitcomb  Riley : 

It  hain't  no  use  to  grumble  and  complain; 

It's  just  as  cheap  and  easy  to  rejoice; 
When  God  sorts  out  the  weather  and  sends  rain, 

W'y  rain's  my  choice. 
21 


22  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

It  is  probably  safe  to  say  that  three-fourths  of  the  mistakes 
that  the  Central  Station  man  makes  in  his  intercourse  with  the 
public  are  made  because  he  does  not  really  know  the  things  he 
thinks  he  knows.  If  the  Central  Station  is  constantly  on  trial 
had  it  not  better  keep  its  eye  on  the  juror  and  if  possible  get  his 
viewpoint?  There  was  a  time  when  it  was  thought  the  juror 
could  be  ignored — that  he  had  to  take  what  was  given  him  and 
be  quiet, — but  now  things  are  different.  A  Russian  proverb 
says:  "Time  does  not  bow  to  you,  you  must  bow  to  time."  To- 
day it  is  perhaps  better  to  bow  alike  to  Time  and  the  juror  and 
take  them  both  into  consideration.  The  juror  can  only  be  fixed 
by  some  one  obtaining  his  viewpoint — that  is,  by  the  Corpora- 
tion man  looking  at  the  business  fom  the  outside,  as  it  is  seen 
by  the  Man  in  the  Street. 

The  Man  in  the  Street  is  a  many  sided  individual  in  some 
respects,  but  in  the  main  he  will  be  found  reasonable,  tractable 
and  not  unfriendly.  In  my  efforts  to  illustrate  the  different 
angles  of  observation  from  which  the  Man  in  the  Street  looks 
inward  at  your  business,  I  will  endeavor  to  develop  five  sides  -of 
his  character.  It  will  be  distinctly  understood  that  I  am  not 
advising  anyone  how  to  change  or  conduct  his  business.  Long 
ago  I  learned  it  is  permissible  to  express  an  opinion — but  advice 
should  be  sent  by  slow  freight.  The  Man  in  the  Street  has  some 
advantages  not  posessed  by  the  man  inside,  and  the  man  on  the 
inside  can  well  afford  to  listen  if  the  man  on  the  outside  has  any- 
thing to  say.  The  five  angles  from  which  the  Man  in  the  Street 
will  here  be  considered  are  (1)  The  Impressionist,  (2)  The  Stu- 
dent, (3)  The  Human  Being,  (4)  The  Customer  and  (5)  The 
Investor. 

The  Impressionist 

It  has  been  truly  said  that  trifles  make  perfection,  but  perfec- 
tion is  no  trifle.  As  an  impressionist,  the  Man  in  the  Street  is 
either  consciously  or  subconsciously  influenced  by  what  appear 
to  be  trifles.  Daily  as  he  proceeds  on  his  way  he  observes  the 
properties  and  employes  of  the  Central  Station.  Do  they  im- 
press him  favorably  or  do  they  irritate  him?  What  pleases  him 
and  why?  When  is  he  jarred  and  for  what  reason?  As  he  looks 
along  the  principal  streets  in  his  town  do  the  pole  lines  impress 
him  as  being  clean-cut  and  regular?  Are  the  poles  located  in  the 
least  objectionable  places  and  are  the  services  run  with  any  regard 
to  appearance?     Sometimes  he  sees  lines  that  appeal  even  to  a 


THE  MAN  IN  THE  STREET  23 

layman  as  being  carefully  planned  and  excellently  constructed. 
Sometimes  he  observes  that  a  street  or  highway  is  needlessly 
disfigured  by  irregular  poles,  ragged  wires  and  sloppy  construc- 
tion. Don't  imagine  these  conditions  are  not  observed  by  the 
Man  in  the  Street.  They  speak  for  themselves  and  later  on,  if 
they  are  not  remedied  or  made  less  objectionable,  the  Man  in 
the  Street  is  liable  to  make  a  noise  which  will  sound  to  the  Central 
Station  like  having  to  spend  a  lot  of  money  for  removal  of  such 
lines  or  maybe  the  installation  of  underground  construction  in 
their  place.  How  about  the  stations,  sub-stations,  warehouses 
and  garages?  Do  they  always  present  a  creditable  appearance? 
Could  the  grounds  around  them  be  kept  more  tidy  and  would 
some  needed  repairs  or  a  coat  of  paint  on  some  buildings  make 
a  better  impression?  The  Man  in  the  Street  misses  nothing. 
He  knows  whether  you  are  properly  maintaining  your  property 
or  allowing  it  to  degenerate.  If  objectionable  conditions  con- 
tinue without  improvement  he  may  charitably  conclude  you  are 
in  a  rut  and  he  knows  that  the  only  difference  between  a  rut  and 
the  grave  is  in  its  length  and  breadth. 

The  Man  in  the  Street  has  business  in  your  office  occasionally. 
Is  it  an  up-to-date  office,  with  open,  inviting  appearance,  or  is 
it  one  of  the  old,  forbidding  type,  with  high  railings,  with  little 
windows  for  the  clerks  to  look  through  at  customers  and  where 
customers  must  stand  off  and  meekly  take  whatever  may  be 
handed  them?  A  pleasant,  cheerful  office  is  an  invitation  to 
come  again,  and  no  one  realizes  it  more  than  the  Man  in  the 
Street.  Are  the  clerks  neatly  dressed — the  men  with  clean 
clothes  and  clean-shaven  faces,  and  the  women  in  such  costumes 
and  colors  as  befit  their  work?  Is  the  Manager  easily  accessible 
or  is  he  locked  in  behind  a  closed  door  from  where  he  cannot  see 
his  assistants  and  where  the  company's  customers  cannot  see 
him?  High  railings,  dark  partitions  and  closed  doors  impress  the 
Man  in  the  Street  as  belonging  to  ways  that  are  dark  and  secrets 
that  are  deep.  Open  offices  invite  him  to  inspect  and  he  is 
liable  to  say  to  himself  that  an  invitation  to  inspect  implies  that 
there  is  nothing  to  conceal. 

I  have  heard  some  men  say,  "  What  does  it  matter  to  the  Man 
in  the  Street  how  we  maintain  our  property?  We  get  no  more 
revenue  from  him  if  our  lines  are  straight  or  crooked,  our  build- 
ings and  property  tidy  or  dirty  and  our  offices  inviting  or  the 
reverse!     He  gets  the  service  just  the  same."     There  is  the  great 


24  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

mistake.  You  are  part  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives  and 
takes  a  pride.  Your  methods  either  help  the  community  or 
hurt  it.  If  your  methods  please  him,  he  will  ultimately  take 
more  liberally  of  your  service,  and  your  income  will  be  corresp- 
ondingly greater.  The  Impressionist  side  of  The  Man  in  the 
Street  is  one  that  should  be  regarded  as  highly  important  and  not 
to  be  slightingly  ignored  or  carelessly  overlooked. 

The  Student 

The  one  thing  that  is  most  frequently  overlooked  in  connection 
with  the  Central  Station  business  is  that  the  company  is  distribut- 
ing an  intangible  commodity.  The  purchaser  does  not  see  what 
he  is  buying,  as  is  the  case  with  ordinary  merchandise.  He 
cannot  tell  when  he  pays  his  bill  that  he  is  paying  only  for  what 
he  has  received.  His  senses,  which  are  useful  in  buying  some 
things,  do  not  help  him  in  his  purchases  of  electricity.  Under 
conditions  like  these,  something  must  be  relied  upon  to  take  the 
place  of  the  senses  and  the  only  substitute  is  confidence.  Now  the 
average  Man  in  the  Street  wants  to  know  just  where  he  is  at  when 
spending  his  money,  and  the  Central  Station  Company  should 
make  it  easy  for  him  to  learn  all  that  is  possible  concerning  the 
real  facts  surrounding  the  production  and  distribution  of  elec- 
tricity. The  Man  in  the  Street  will  study  conditions  and  reach 
his  own  conclusions  about  your  business.  If  the  truth  is  spread 
before  him  for  thoughtful  inspection,  his  conclusions  are  liable 
to  be  favorable.  If,  however,  he  becomes  saturated  with  mis- 
information concerning  the  methods  and  aims  of  the  Central 
Station,  then  his  ideas  will  be  perverted  and  his  attitude  preju- 
diced. The  Man  in  the  Street  is  reasonable  and  willing  that  a 
company  giving  a  good  service  should  receive  a  fair  return  on  its 
investment.  However,  in  a  reasonable  manner  he  must  be  shown 
what  is  the  investment  and  what  constitutes  a  fair  return  thereon. 

Perhaps  there  is  nothing  more  important  for  the  Man  in  the 
Street  to  study  than  the  subject  of  what  is  good  service  and  how 
it  may  be  obtained.  If  he  is  a  lighting  consumer  he  ought  to  be 
informed  as  to  the  difference  between  ordinary  light  and  scien- 
tific illumination.  He  should  be  advised  that  he  may  often  have 
better  lighting  at  less  cost,  by  using  more  modern  methods.  If 
he  is  a  power  consumer  his  installation  should  be  inspected  and 
where  conditions  indicate  wasteful  consumption,  the  way  should 
be  pointed  toward  more  economical  operation.     He  should  be 


THE  MAN  IN  THE  STREET  25 

instructed  that  when  he  has  troubles  with  his  service  he  should 
tell  them  to  the  Company  and  not  to  his  neighbor.  He  should 
know  what  department  of  the  Company  to  communicate  with 
and  what  is  the  telephone  number. 

Does  the  Man  in  the  Street  know  that  all  rates  for  service  are 
subject  to  approval  by  the  State  Public  Utility  Commission? 
Does  he  know  that  these  rates  are  ordered  or  approved  only  after 
exhaustive  investigations  made  by  the  Commission's  experts 
as  to  the  company's  actual  investment,  operating  expenses,  and 
depreciation  charges  and  are  calculated  to  yield  only  a  small 
return  on  the  capital  invested?  Does  he  know  that  the  Central 
Station  Company  cannot  raise  a  rate  or  increase  a  charge  without 
an  order  from  the  Utility  Commission  after  a  public  hearing  has 
been  held?  Does  he  know  that  in  fixing  rates  the  Utility  Com- 
mission does  not  consider  the  company's  bonded  indebtedness  or 
outstanding  capital  stock  as  a  basis  for  calculating  what  should 
be  the  company's  net  earnings?  Does  he  know  that  the  Central 
Station  Company  cannot  issue  any  securities  without  the  ap- 
proval of  the  Utility  Commission,  and  that  the  Company  must 
show  how  every  dollar  derived  from  the  sale  of  securities  is  to  be 
spent?  Does  he  know  that  the  return  the  Company  is  allowed 
to  earn  on  its  investment  is  not  sufficient  to  provide  for  extensions 
and  betterments,  and  that  for  such  purposes  new  money  must 
come  from  the  sale  of  the  Company's  securities  to  investors? 
Does  the  Man  in  the  Street  know  that  if  he  has  a  grievance 
against  the  Company  he  may  make  a  complaint  to  the  Utility 
Commission,  and  his  trouble  will  be  thoroughly  investigated? 
These  are  matters  for  the  Man  in  the  Street  to  study.  At  times 
they  mystify  and  bother  him,  but  the  more  he  learns  regarding 
public  regulation,  the  more  he  is  liable  to  esteem  the  Utility 
Commission,  respect  the  Company  and  be  satisfied  that  his 
individual  interests  are  fully  protected.  With  a  proper  under- 
standing of  Public  regulation  the  Man  in  the  Street  has  a  better 
grasp  of  the  economic  law  of  natural  monopoly.  As  a  student,  he 
may  well  consider  some  chapters  from  the  records  of  disaster 
that  are  written  in  the  history  of  many  cities  and  towns  in 
America  where  rival  utility  companies  have  attempted  to  operate 
in  the  same  field,  where  that  field  is  properly  served  by  one  com- 
pany at  reasonable  rates.  His  study  will  develop  that  unfair 
competitive  conditions  are  ultimately  disadvantageous  to  the 
consumer,  who  by  increased  rates  must  inevitably  pay  for  the 


26  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

destruction  caused  by  unnecessary  competition.  All  publicity 
of  misinformation  should  be  counteracted  by  even  greater  pub- 
licity of  true  conditions.  Truth  is  mighty  and  if  the  Man  in  the 
Street  may  study  and  grasp  its  meaning  he  will  eventually  become 
a  defender  of  the  Central  Station  and  an  ardent  advocate  of  its 
service. 

The  Human  Being 

Quite  recently  the  manager  of  one  of  the  districts  operated  by 
a  large  Utility  Company  in  this  state  received  a  letter  from  a 
consumer  reading  as  follows : 

"Ordinarily  when  we  pay  an  account  promptly,  we  feel  we  have  fulfilled 
our  obligation,  but  in  your  case  v/e  are  moved  to  something  more,  and  the 
purpose  of  this  letter  is  to  thank  you  for  the  business  like  manner  in  which  our 
transactions  with  your  company  have  been  handled.  Furthermore,  we 
have  enjoyed  that  indefinable  'something'  which  goes  with  your  service, 
and  which  makes  it  a  pleasure  to  do  business  with  you." 

The  Man  in  the  Street  is  a  human  being  and  that  indefinable 
"something"  referred  to  is  a  recognition  of  the  tactful,  attentive 
courtesy  displayed  to  him  as  an  individual.  This  attribute 
attracts  new  consumers,  and  makes  the  older  ones  feel  at  ease 
and  satisfied.  It  is,  in  fact,  the  open  sesame  to  the  Public  good 
will,  without  which  no  company  can  continue  to  be  successfully 
operated.  The  rulings  and  orders  of  Utility  Commissions  may 
govern  the  quality,  manufacture  and  distribution  of  a  commodity, 
but  they  do  not  stipulate  what  shall  be  the  attitude  to  the  indi- 
•  vidual  consumer.     That  is  left  to  the  management. 

The  Man  in  the  Street  dislikes  to  be  herded — he  hates  to  be 
known  as  one  of  so  many  thousand  consumers  a  company  may 
have  in  a  community.  He  likes  to  be  considered  as  an  individual 
and  if  he  is  known  by  his  name,  he  likes  it  better  still. 

From  my  own  residence  I  have  occasion  to  send  quite  a  few 
long  distance  messages  over  the  telephone.  There  are  two  Long 
Distance  Companies,  and  heretofore  I  have  always  been  preju- 
diced in  favor  of  the  older  company.  When  I  ask  for  Long 
Distance,  the  routine  is,  "Number,  please?  Your  own  number? 
Your  name?"  Recently,  at  certain  hours  of  the  day,  a  new 
operator  is  on  my  line  at  the  office  of  the  other  company.  I 
have  never  seen  her  and  do  not  know  her  name.  When  she 
says,  "Number,  please?"  I  may  say  10621.  When  she  says, 
"Your  own  number"  I  say  571-W,  and  then  instead  of  saying 
"Name,  please?"  she  says,  "Oh,  yes,  Mr.  Kennedy."     Now,  I 


THE  MAN  IN  THE  STREET  27 

am  the  Man  in  the  Street.  I  Hke  my  individuality  recognized, 
and  because  of  that  girl's  tact,  my  business  seems  to  be  gravitat- 
ing to  her  company. 

Much  of  the  criticism  directed  against  Utility  Companies 
might  be  dispelled  or  relieved  by  a  broadminded  policy  in  hand- 
ling complaints,  in  which  each  case  is  treated  as  an  opportunity 
for  acquaintanceship  with  the  Consumer  and  each  complaint  is 
given  an  inividuality,  by  impartial  and  critical  investigation. 
A  complaint  is  an  opportunity  to  make  a  friend,  and  the  oppor- 
tunity is  with  the  individual  in  particular  and  not  with  the  class 
of  complaint  in  general.  To  satisfy  means  to  hold  business  that 
probably  was  difficult  and  costly  to  get.  To  satisfy  means  the 
keeping  of  old  friends  and  the  making  of  new  ones^and  friends 
build  up  a  business.  In  handling  complaints,  words  are  only 
one  means  of  expression  and  manner  is  quite  as  important;  a 
kindly  and  courteous  manner  is  not  only  the  sign  and  mark  of  a 
self-respecting  man,  but  it  is  to  words  what  oil  is  to  machinery 
in  making  them  move  feffectively  to  their  purpose.  The  Man  in 
the  Street  gives  many  opportunities  for  Utility  Company  em- 
ployes to  know  him  and  please  him.  Perhaps  no  opportunity 
occurs  more  frequently  than  in  the  payment  of  bills.  He  pro- 
bably calls  at  your  office  for  this  purpose  once  a  month.  If  he 
makes  such  a  call,  pays  his  money  and  has  his  receipt  handed  him 
without  word  or  recognition  from  the  employe,  he  misses  some- 
thing and  an  opportunity  for  the  company  has  been  lost.  If 
the  next  time  he  calls  the  clerk  says  "Thanks"  when  handing 
the  receipt  he  feels  a  slight  recognition  of  his  existence.  If  on  a 
third  call  the  clerk  says  "Thank  you"  he  feels  more  interested 
and  if  on  the  fourth  call  to  pay  money  there  should  be  a  clerk  with 
tact  enough  to  see  the  name  on  the  bill,  and  when  returning  the 
receipt  to  say  "Thank  you,  Mr.  Jones,"  the  Man  in  the  Street 
goes  out  with  an  appreciative  smile,  and  the  thought  in  his  mind 
that  he  is  known  as  a  consumer  and  recognized  as  an  individual. 
Too  much  importance  cannot  be  placed  upon  the  treatment  of 
the  Man  in  the  Street  as  an  individual  who  appreciates  all  the 
niceties  in  the  relations  of  one  human  being  to  another,  and  above 
all  he  appreciates — 

"How  sweet  and  gracious,  even  in  common  speech. 
Is  that  fine  sense  which  men  call  Courtesy! 

Wholesome  as  air  and  genial  as  the  light! 

Welcome  in  every  cMme  as  breath  of  flowers, 

It  transmutes  aliens  into  trusting  friends, 

And  gives  its  owner  passport  round  the  globe." 


28  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

The  Customer 

Some  years  ago  in  a  certain  Western  city  where  there  were 
three  electric  companies  competing  for  business,  a  new  theatre 
was  in  course  of  construction.  The  three  companies  had  identi- 
cal rates  for  serving  so  that  element  did  not  enter  into  the  com- 
petitive conditions.  Mr.  X,  the  business  manager  of  Company 
"A,"  was  watching  the  situation  closely,  and  became  somewhat 
discouraged  when  the  report  was  brought  to  him  that  the  owner 
of  the  new  building  was  a  stockholder  in  Company  "B"  and 
naturally  would  influence  the  lessee  to  sign  with  Company  "B." 
Another  report  he  received  was  that  there  existed  a  racial  affilia- 
tion between  one  of  the  directors  of  company  "C"  and  the  lessee 
of  the  theatre,  and  that  Company  "C"  was  sure  to  get  the  busi- 
ness. The  lessee  lived  in  a  city  several  hundred  miles  distant. 
One  evening  as  the  manager  of  Company  "A"  was  about  to 
close  his  desk,  the  office  door  opened  and  a  stranger  walked  in. 
He  asked  the  manager  if  he  were  Mr.  X,  and  receiving  a  reply  in 
the  affirmative,  he  stated  he  was  the  lessee  of  the  new  Peoples 
Theatre  and  wished  to  arrange  for  service.  He  explained  to 
Manager  X  that  there  had  been  much  influence  used  to  swing  his 
business  elsewhere,  but  that  men  in  the  theatrical  business  had  a 
way  of  inquiring  from  each  other  about  certain  matters.  He  had 
inquired  from  other  theatre  managers  as  to  which  company  gave 
the  best  service,  and  Manager  X  was  informed  that  not  only  the 
theatre  men  receiving  service  from  his  company,  but  others  in  the 
city  all  agreed  that  Company  "A"  gave  the  best  service,  and 
looked  after  its  customers  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner.  The 
Man  in  the  Street  listens,  inquires  and  uses  his  own  judgment 
when  he  is  going  to  give  his  business,  and  your  record  for  attention 
to  the  little  things  in  service  may  often  win  you  big  revenue 
producing  contracts. 

A  Central  Station  plant  ought  to  be  loaded  twenty-four  hours 
daily.  It  does  not  have  to  sleep.  The  load  curve  ought  to  be  a 
straight  line,  before  the  electrical  consumption  of  any  community 
has  reached  the  saturation  point.  New  consumers  are  desirable, 
but  the  development  of  increased  business  with  existing  customers 
is  still  more  desirable.  For  greater  business  from  present  invest- 
ment we  must  cultivate  the  Man  in  the  Street.  It  may  be  con- 
sidered an  axiom  that  no  consumer  is  using  as  much  as  he  could 
take  to  his  own  advantage,  and  the  most  profitable  business  is 
produced  by  inducing  consumers  to  increase  the  number  of  uses 


THE  MAN  IN  THE  STREET  29 

of  electricity.  Much  time  and  money  have  been  spent  in  the  past 
in  an  endeavor  to  clip  a  small  percentage  from  the  cost  of  manu- 
facturing and  delivering  a  kilowatt-hour.  Economies  of  opera- 
tion are  to  be  commended,  but  the  time  has  passed  when  it  is 
simply  a  question  of  jumping  a  set  of  service  wires  to  the  con- 
sumer's premises,  and  lumping  a  few  kilowatt-hours  there  each 
month.  The  time  has  come  when  it  is  up  to  us  to  interest  our- 
selves more  than  ever  before  in  the  manner  and  method  of  using 
our  product  on  the  consumer's  premises,  so  that  the  greatest 
possible  economies  and  benefits  may  be  secured. 

The  Man  in  the  Street  knows  of  no  saturation  point,  neither 
should  we.  The  Man  in  the  Street  is  willing  that  the  annual 
consumption  per  capita  should  increase  year  by  year  if  he  is 
benefited  thereby.  It  is  up  to  us  to  show  him  that  electricity 
and  convenience  are  synonymous  and  in  what  direction  new 
benefits  may  be  obtained.  There  is  no  limit  to  intensive  develop- 
ment of  this  kind — but  it  cannot  be  obtained  by  wishing  and 
waiting.  The  point  upon  which  this  whole  question  of  business 
development  hangs  is  the  ability  to  let  the  people  know — in  other 
words,  to  create  the  desire.  The  Man  in  the  Street  must  be 
informed  so  that  he  may  be  fully  advised  as  to  the  possibilities 
of  electric  service,  in  the  lightening  of  labor  and  in  adding  comfort 
and  good  cheer  to  the  life  of  mankind.  He  is  already  in  a  recept- 
ive condition  and  is  only  waiting  to  be  shown  the  wonderful 
capacity  of  electric  energy  in  performing  almost  everything 
within  the  range  of  industrial  and  commercial  life.  All  we  need 
is  men  who  have  a  thorough  practical  and  intimate  knowledge 
of  the  possibilities  in  the  use  of  electric  service.  The  possession 
of  this  knowledge  fills  them  with  confidence  and  enthusiasm,  so 
that  when  they  talk  to  the  Man  in  the  Street,  the  battle  is  as 
good  as  won.  Obstacles  are  swept  aside,  objections  are  over- 
ruled, competitors  are  annihilated  and,  by-and-by,  the  Man  in  the 
Street,  far  from  being  saturated,  will,  like  Oliver  Twist,  only  ask 
for  more. 

The  Investor 

The  problem  as  to  the  future  of  Public  Utility  Companies  is 
one  which  occupies  considerable  attention  in  the  public  mind 
today,  and  is  one  which  is  of  vital  importance  to  the  Utility 
Company  and  the  public.  There  is  a  competition  going  on  be- 
tween public  control  and  private  ownership.     Public  control  is 


30  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

attractive  to  many  but  even  its  friends  acknowledge  that  because 
of  certain  inherent  conditions  it  must  travel  a  long  way  before  it 
reaches  success.  Private  ownership  has  pioneered,  nursed  and 
developed  the  business,  and  the  same  qualifications  which  have 
produced  so  much  good  work  in  the  past  should  enable  it  to  con- 
tinue and  progress  in  the  future.  There  is  a  greater  need  for 
cooperation  between  the  Utility  Company  and  the  Consumer 
than  ever  before.  But  cooperation  is  a  matter  of  give  as  well  as 
take.  Sometimes  it  amounts  to  doing  the  other  fellow's  way 
when  he  won't  do  ours.  The  Man  in  the  Street  is  thinking  as  he 
never  did  before — he  looks  at  the  Utility  Company  and  believes 
it  is  prosperous.  Why  should  he  not  share  in  its  prosperity? 
Some  wise  man  has  said  the  best  way  to  conserve  private  owner- 
ship is  to  increase  the  number  of  private  owners.  Who  is  brave 
enough  to  say  that  is  not  the  answer  to  the  problem?  This  is  an 
age  of  frankness,  directness  and  simplicity.  If  you  really  want 
more  stockholders  among  your  customers,  you  must  go  after  them 
candidly  and  openly.  Don't  tell  them  the  benefit  will  be  theirs 
only — but  that  the  advantages  will  be  mutual.  Not  long  ago  one 
of  the  power  companies  in  this  state  received  authority  to  add  a 
temporary  surcharge  to  its  rates.  A  certain  consumer  living  in 
the  territory  supplied  went  to  his  neighbor  one  day  and  said, 
"How  about  this  surcharge  the  power  company  is  collecting? 
Don't  you  think  we  had  better  look  into  it?"  The  neighbor 
replied,  "No,  I  have  been  making  inquiries  regarding  the  un- 
controllable expenses  our  company  has  had  to  face,  and  we  feel 
that  the  surcharge  is  justified."  The  other  man  exclaimed, 
"What  do  you  mean  by  'our  company'?"  The  reply  was,  "Oh, 
I'm  a  stockholder  of  the  Power  Company." 

What  better  plan  for  its  own  protection  and  prosperity  can  a 
Public  Utility  Company  adopt  than  by  making  the  Man  in  the 
Street  a  full  partner  in  the  organization?  If  the  company  is 
properly  managed,  if  it  has  made  a  favorable  impression  upon  the 
Man  in  the  Street,  he  is  already  predisposed  in  its  favor,  and  it 
will  not  be  difficult  to  convince  him  that  in  order  to  make  the 
relationship  perfect,  he  should  be  a  stockholder.  His  desire  to 
become  a  stockholder  will  probably  be  in  direct  relation  to  the 
treatment  he  may  have  received  from  your  company  in  the  past, 
and  if  he  has  been  well  treated  the  amount  of  stock  he  will  take 
will  probably  be  limited  only  by  his  financial  capacity. 


THE  MAN  IN  THE  STREET  31 

Human  beings  are  not  like  merchandise,  nor  are  they  to  be 
handled  like  merchandise.  Dealing  with  the  Man  in  the  Street 
is  a  problem  in  personality,  and  it  is  through  the  point  of  contact, 
wherever  it  may  be :  at  the  counter,  over  the  telephone,  through 
correspondence  or  when  and  where  service  may  be  rendered,  that 
the  favorable  impressions  are  created  which  ultimately  affect 
the  prosperity  of  the  Utility  Company.  The  physical  assets  of  a 
Corporation  may  be  of  fabulous  value  and  may  make  a  handsome 
showing  in  an  annual  report  to  shareholders,  but  the  value  of 
that  intangible  asset,  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  the  Man 
in  the  Street,  may  be,  after  all,  the  one  great  element  which 
produces  earning  power  and  gives  stability  to  the  property. 


CHAPTER  V 

ROOM  AT  THE  TOP 

In  almost  every  public  utility  organization  of  any  size  that  is 
attempting  to  keep  pace  with  its  responsibilities,  there  is  a  con- 
stant demand  for  a  certain  class  of  men.  Men  there  are  in 
plenty  who  may  be  termed  "average."  Men  there  are  in  abund- 
ance who  are  known  to  be  "below  the  average,"  but  of  men  who 
are  able  to  lift  their  heads  above  the  average  in  any  line  of  work 
there  is  always  a  scarcity.  This  condition  may  be  accounted  for 
by  the  careful  use  of  three  tests,  namely:  lack  of  ability,  lack  of 
ambition  and  lack  of  application.  The  first  named  test,  lack 
of  ability,  has  the  least  to  do  with  the  scarcity  of  high  grade 
men.  Almost  every  man  has  ability  along  at  least  one  line.  If 
he  is  engaged  in  some  occupation  at  which  he  does  not  make 
progress  or  for  which  he  has  no  liking,  he  is  probably  in  the 
wrong  place.  It  would  be  much  better  for  him  to  look  around 
for  some  work  more  adapted  to  his  tastes  and  qualifications. 
Usually  he  can  find  something  that  will  hold  a  future  for  him,  if  he 
is  not  afraid  of  work.  The  second  class,  lack  of  ambition,  is  a 
more  difficult  one  to  handle.  Lack  of  ambition  may  be  the  result 
of  poor  health,  the  absence  of  a  necessity  for  working  in  order  to 
exist,  or  lack  of  a  full  share  of  life's  responsibilities — or  pure 
laziness.  One  thing  is  certain,  men  without  ambition  are  almost 
useless,  and  if  the  necessary  stimulation  cannot  be  pumped  into 
them  by  some  means,  they  are  heading  for  the  discard.  '  The 
third  class,  lack  of  application,  is  the  one  which  contains  the 
greatest  number,  and  which  holds  the  greatest  possibilities — if 
only  those  belonging  to  it  can  be  brought  to  see  the  light.  After 
all  is  said  and  done,  it  is  work  and  only  work  that  wins — provided 
the  work  is  along  the  right  lines.  The  epigram  of  Thomas  A. 
Edison  that  "Genius  is  partly  inspiration  but  mostly  perspira- 
tion," is  worth  calling  attention  to.  It  is  true  it  hardly  needs 
elucidation,  and  yet  as  preachers  sometimes  amplify  good  texts 
into  poor  sermons,  maybe  a  halting  word  or  two  may  be  said 
about  its  definition.  Genius  is  indeed  God-given,  but  nobody 
knows  what  may  be  accomplished  by  hard  work.     Oftentimes  it 

32 


It  is  now  the  community  of  interest 
idea  that  does  the  business.  The 
manager  with  progressive  ideas  values 
the  confidence  of  the  public,  and  the 
old  attitude  of  suspicion,  based  on  the 
belief  that  the  interests  of  customer 
and  company  were  antagonistic,  is 
being  done  away  with. 


The  telephone  is  the  door  through 
which  most  of  the  company's  pat- 
rons enter,  and  is  likely  to  become 
the  most  important  as  far  as  number 
of  consumers  handled  is  concerned. 


{Facing  page  32) 


ROOM  AT  THE  TOP  33 

takes  work  to  bring  out  genius.  The  man  who  wants  anything 
must  put  a  firm  hand  on  the  plow  and  he  may  be  assured  that 
even  if  he  does  not  get  what  he  wants,  he  will  get  something  worth 
having.  No  honest  work  in  this  world  is  ever  unrewarded. 
With  a  real  worker,  time  is  measured  only  by  what  is  accom- 
plished, whereas  with  the  man  who  lacks  ambition  or  application, 
the  clock  only  is  the  measure  of  his  labor. 

"One  sadly  sees  the  setting  sun 

And  views  his  day's  work  with  a  sigh, 

The  other  drops  his  tools  to  run 

Nor  cares  how  little  he  has  done; 

And  people  still  go  asking  why 

Some  men  are  down  and  some  are  high." 

Some  men  are  always  going  to  get  busy  and  do  things  worth  while 
— but  while  their  intentions  may  be  good,  their  accomplishments 
are  nil,  because  of  constant  procrastination.  Such  men  should 
get  busy  or  stop  talking.  Others  there  are  who  put  in  their 
time  wishing  for  one  thing  and  another,  which  if  they  had,  they 
think  would  put  them  in  a  position  to  do  great  things.  There  is 
a  vast  difference  between  wishing  and  winning.  Many  a  good 
man  has  failed  because  he  had  his  wishbone  where  his  backbone 
ought  to  be. 

There  is  another  class  of  men,  who  hold  back  and  fail  to  get 
results  for  fear  they  may  make  mistakes  or  do  something  wrong. 
The  best  of  men  will  make  mistakes  occasionally — that  is  only 
human.  If  a  man  wants  to  avoid  error,  he  has  his  choice  of  two 
things — either  do  nothing  or  die. 

There  is  still  another  class  of  men  who  accomplish  nothing 
because  they  are  awaiting  what  they  term  ''their  opportunity." 
They  feel  that  they  have  the  necessary  ability  to  do  big  things 
if  only  the  opportunity  would  come.  It  is  safe  to  say  that 
opportunities  are  lying  all  around  such  men,  just  waiting  to  be 
grasped.  But  these  chances  are  passed  by  because  they  don't 
appear  big  enough;  are  overlooked  because  they  mean  starting 
too  small;  and  are  trampled  under  foot  because  future  prospects 
seem  too  remote.  And  all  the  time  these  daily  opportunities  to 
which  such  men  are  Winded,  lead  to  big  things  and  high  places. 
"One  ship  goes  east,  another  west,  by  the  self -same  winds  that 
blow,  'tis  the  set  of  the  sail  and  not  the  gale  that  determines  the 
way  they  go." 

If  there  is  room  at  the  top  for  all  engaged  in  the  public  utility 
business,  including  engineers,  accountants,  operators  and  com- 


34  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

mercial  men,  then  what  are  the  essentials  in  order  to  fill  a  space 
in  that  room?  It  is  not  possible  to  indicate  all  the  elements  that 
go  to  make  up  a  successful  career,  but  some  of  the  high  spots 
may  be  touched  upon. 

Persistence 

With  most  men  the  degree  of  their  laziness  or  their  industry 
depends  partly  upon  their  affinity  for  the  work,  but  chiefly 
upon  the  motives  which  stimulate  them.  With  some  men  the 
motive  is  to  obtain  a  livelihood,  with  others  it  is  ambition,  and 
in  many  cases  a  combination  of  the  two.  In  any  event,  the 
room  at  the  top  is  never  reached  by  lagging  behind  in  the  daily 
race,  and  watching  others  go  by.  A  recent  issue  of  a  New  York 
paper  contained  a  fable  of  four  men,  which  was  as  follows :  "I 
got  off  a  street  car  the  other  morning,"  said  a  doctor,  "and, 
being  in  no  hurry,  I  began  moralizing  on  the  probable  characters 
of  the  three  men  who  had  alighted  ahead  of  me.  The  first  one 
even  then  half  way  down  the  block  and  was  going  on  with  such 
rapid  strides  that  he  had  already  put  a  couple  of  hundred  yards 
between  himself  and  the  next  man.  'There,'  thought  I,  'goes  a 
hustler, — a  man  who's  bound  to  succeed  in  life.'  The  second 
man  was  walking  rather  slower,  and  impressed  me  as  one  who 
would  do  fairly  well,  perhaps,  in  the  world.  But  the  last  fellow 
was  just  dawdling  along  in  a  most  shiftless  sort  of  a  way.  I 
very  quickly  set  him  down  as  a  loafer.  Just  then  the  idea  came 
home  to  me:  "All  three  men  were  ahead  of  me." 

The  man  who  seeks  promotion  must  keep  at  his  work  whether 
his  superior  is  looking  or  not.  In  a  large  corporation,  although 
he  may  not  think  it,  an  employe  is  under  observation  at  all 
times,  and  his  work  carefully  noted.  The  slacker  is  soon  known 
to  be  a  slacker,  and  the  diligent  worker  does  not  go  undiscovered. 
When  higher  positions  are  to  be  filled  and  promotions  made 
sometimes  the  slacker  wonders  why  he  was  overlooked,  and  his 
neighbor  selected.  If  he  wants  the  truth  let  him  ask  his  chief. 
A  man  who  wants  to  fill  a  big  position  had  best  begin  by  over- 
filling a  smaller  one.  That  means  work,  intelligent  work  and 
constant  work.  Work  with  the  incentive  of  ambition  for  some- 
thing to  be  attained  ahead,  and  work  with  the  incentive  of  duty 
to  be  done  close  at  hand.  A  man  should  not  be  content  with 
doing  only  his  duty.  He  should  do  more  than  his  duty.  It  is 
the  horse  that  finishes  a  neck  ahead  that  wins  the  race.     A  man 


ROOM  AT  THE  TOP  35 

should  only  stop  when  he  has  done  his  best,  for  that  is  the  greatest 
thing  he  can  possibly  do. 

Cheerfulness 

No  man  ever  reached  the  room  at  the  top  because  he  was 
grouchy  or  despondent.  There  may  be  instances  where  such 
men  have  attained  high  positions,  but  it  has  been  because  of 
marked  ability  along  some  particular  lines  and  in  spite  of  their 
dispositions.  Cheerfulness  sharpens  the  edge  and  removes 
the  rust  from  the  mind.  Every  man  should  learn  to  laugh.  A 
good  story  is  better  than  medicine  and  is  much  easier  to  take  and 
give.  A  well-told  story  is  as  welcome  as  a  sunbeam  in  a  sick 
room.  The  other  fellow  wants  cheerfulness,  and  is  dodging 
troubles.  Every  man  should  keep  his  troubles  to  himself.  The 
world  is  too  busy  to  care  for  his  ills  and  sorrows.  Let  him  learn 
to  stop  croaking.  If  he  cannot  see  any  good  around  him,  let  him 
keep  the  bad  to  himself.  Other  people  have  troubles  worse  than 
his — there  may  be  some  comfort  in  that.  Out  in  the  world  no 
one  cares  to  hear  whether  someone  else  has  an  earache,  toothache, 
or  headache.  Some  men  will  even  weep  when  telling  of  their 
pains  and  troubles.  Tears  do  well  enough  in  novels,  but  they 
are  out  of  place  in  real  life.  At  times  they  cannot  be  prevented, 
and  may  even  be  necessary — but  not  in  public,  if  avoidable.  A 
man  should  meet  his  friends  with  a  smile — the  good-humored  is 
always  welcome,  but  the  ill-tempered  or  hypochondriac  is  usually 
a  nuisance  and  not  wanted  anywhere.  The  twin  brother  to 
cheerfulness  is  enthusiasm.  If  a  man  is  enthusiastic,  he  cannot 
long  be  doleful  or  discouraged.  It  is  a  powerful  element  in  suc- 
cess and  is  a  useful  factor  in  reaching  the  room  at  the  top.  An 
imaginative  writer  has  said  about  enthusiasm  that  it  "breakfasts 
on  obstacles,  lunches  on  objections,  dines  on  competitors  and 
rests  in  peaceful  slumber  on  their  scattered  tail  feathers." 

Soundness 

The  great  prizes  of  life  do  not  fall  to  the  most  brilliant,  to  the 
cleverest,  to  the  shrewdest  or  to  the  best  educated,  but  to  the 
most  level-headed  men,  to  the  men  of  soundest  judgment.  In  a 
public  utility  organization,  when  a  man  is  wanted  for  a  respon- 
sible position,  his  shrewdness  is  not  considered  so  important  as 
the  quality  of  his  judgment.  Reliability  is  what  is  wanted — will 
he  do  the  right  thing  in  an  emergency?     It  is  not  an  unusual 


36  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

thing  to  see  men  who  are  very  brilHant  but  out  of  work,  and 
plenty  of  sharp  men  who  wonder  why  they  do  not  get  responsible 
positions.  The  reason  is  that  people  are  afraid  of  one-sided, 
poorly-balanced  men.  They  are  not  considered  safe,  but  are  to 
be  avoided.  A  man  may  be  smart,  sharp,  shrewd  and  clever, 
and  may  be  a  good  scholar,  even  a  brilliant  one,  but  is  he  sound? 
That  is  the  question  an  executive  considering  him  for  a  respon- 
sible position  will  ask.  Is  he  substantial?  Is  he  solid?  Has  he 
a  level  head?  What  the  chiefs  of  large  organizations  want  are 
men  that  are  safe.  A  great  railroad  corporation  operating  in  the 
West  once  printed  a  set  of  rules  governing  the  actions  of  its 
men  under  all  conceivable  circumstances,  so  that  it  might  have 
been  expected  no  emergency  could  arise  which  would  not  be 
covered  by  one  of  the  rules.  But  at  the  bottom  of  the  list  of 
instructions,  printed  in  type  a  little  larger  than  the  rest,  were 
these  words:  "In  cases  of  doubt,  always  take  the  safe  side." 
That  is  what  is  wanted  of  the  men  who  are  to  reach  the  room  at 
the  top — above  all  things — safety.  People  want  to  feel  that  a 
man  in  a  responsible  position  can  keep  a  clear  brain  and  a  level 
head,  no  matter  what  comes;  that  he  cannot  be  shaken  from  his 
center,  no  matter  what  trouble  may  arise  or  how  much  influence 
may  be  brought  to  bear  upon  him.  They  want  to  feel  sure  he  is 
sound  to  the  core.  Many  people  are  liable  to  overestimate  the 
value  of  education,  of  brilliance  and  of  keenness,  which  they  think 
at  times  may  be  substituted  for  a  level  head  and  sound  judgment. 
If  men  in  a  public  utility  organization  are  to  rise  they  must  first 
be  tested,  and  the  testing  process  is  going  on  all  the  time.  Some 
men  resemble  the  Arizona  mustang — they  will  go  on  along  right 
and  safe  lines  for  months,  yes,  maybe  years  at  a  time,  and  then 
some  day  for  no  accountable  reason  will  go  off  at  a  tangent  and 
do  the  wrong  thing  at  a  critical  moment.  That  is  what  must  be 
avoided.  Reliability  is  what  is  wanted.  Can  a  man  stand 
without  being  tripped;  and  if  he  is  thrown  can  he  land  on  his 
feet?  Can  he  be  depended  upon,  under  all  circumstances,  to 
do  the  sensible  thing?  Has  he  good  horse  sense?  Is  he  liable 
to  go  off  half-cocked?  Does  he  lose  his  temper  or  can  he  control 
himself?  If  he  can  keep  a  level  head  under  all  circumstances,  if 
he  cannot  be  thrown  off  his  balance,  and  is  honest,  then  is  he  the 
man  that  is  wanted.  The  younger  men,  looking  up  at  the  room 
at  the  top,  will  do  well  to  place  the  proper  value  on  soundness  to 
learn  its  import  and  cultivate  it  on  all  occasions  and  under  all 


ROOM  AT  THE  TOP  37 

circumstances.     There  can  be  no  permanent  advancement,  espe- 
cially near  the  top,  unless  the  applicant  be  sound  to  the  core. 

Loyalty 

When  a  man  belongs  to  an  organization,  it  goes  without  saying 
that  he  will  be  loyal  to  its  interests.     If  he  cannot  be,  he  should 
sever  his  connection  immediately,  or  lose  the  respect  of  his 
fellows.     But  a  man  may  be  loyal  to  his  company  and  yet  pos- 
sibly disloyal  to  himself.     All  men  should  desire  to  advance,  but 
this  does  not  mean  the  acceptance  of  every  will-o-the-wisp  offer 
dangled  before  his  eyes.     The  man  who  is  offered  a  bigger 
salary  elsewhere  and  refuses  it  to  stay  at  his  present  job  is  actu- 
ated by  other  than  mere  money  considerations.     Permanency 
of  position,  congenial  work  and  co-workers,  efficient  supervision, 
benefit  funds,  pensions  or  service  annuities,  assurance  of  promo- 
tion— these  are  some  of  the  factors  that  are  included  in  a  man's 
wages  that  cannot  be  expressed  in  cash  terms,  yet  stimulate  him 
to  effort  and  increase  his  hopes.     The  pay  envelope   contains 
only  one  of  several  returns  for  labor  that  keep  a  man  loyal  to 
his  employer  and  his  work.     Many  a  good  man  has  left  the  or- 
ganization in  which  he  was  comfortable,  and  in  which  he  had  an 
assured  future,  to  go  into  some  enterprise  without  proven  sta- 
bility, just  because  he  was  offered  a  few  more  dollars  per  month. 
Dollars  are  useful  and  absolutely  necessary,  but  there  are  other 
considerations  which  should  not  be  even  temporarily  overlooked. 
Many  a  man  who  yielded  to  the  temptation  and  left  his  organiza- 
tion has  later  been  glad  to  return  and  accept  a  lesser  salary  than 
he  had  before,  and  in  addition,  lose  his  seniority  and  original 
chances  for  advancement.     With  loyalty  there  should  go  a  love 
of  the  work  in  which  a  man  may  be  engaged.     He  must  love  it 
to  have  its  best  interests  at  heart.     He  must  love  it  to  bring  out 
his  own  best  qualities,  so  that  his  work  will  put  him  in  line  to 
occupy  the  room  at  the  top. 

"Are  you  trying  to  climb  where  tbe  chosen  are, 

Where  the  feet  of  men  are  few  ? 
Do  you  long  for  a  job  that  is  worth  one's  while? 

Well,  here's  a  thought  for  you: 
The  pots  of  gold  at  the  rainbow's  end, 

Are  sought  by  the  teeming  mob, 
But  the  fairies  who  guard  them  choose  as  a  friend 

The  man  who  loves  his  job." 


268526 


CHAPTER  VI 

CONGENIAL  CONTACTS 

There  is  a  Moslem  maxim  which  runs  as  follows — "  F6ur 
things  come  not  back:  The  spoken  word,  the  sped  arrow,  the 
past  life  and   the  neglected   opportunity."     This   maxim  is  a 
good  one  for  the  employe  of  a  public  utility  corporation  to  think 
over  now  and  then,  if  he  has  an  earnest  desire  to  serve  his  com- 
pany and  incidentally  advance  his  own  interests.     There  is  no 
greater  asset  a  utility  corporation  can  possess  than  the  confidence 
of  its  customers  and  the  good  will  of  the  general  public,  and  there 
is  no  means  whereby  a  corporation  is  measured  or  judged  mope 
constantly  or  more  accurately  than  by  "the   spoken   word  "as 
used  by  the  corporation's  officers  and  employes.     This  is  neither 
an  old  adage  nor  a  new  theory,  but  an  incontrovertible  fact,  sub- 
stantiated by  the  experience  of  those  who  have  made  a  close 
study  of  the  subject  usually  termed  ''Public  Relations."     Today 
the  manager  with  progressive  ideas  values  the  confidence  of  the 
the  people  to  a  greater  extent  than  he  does  a  franchise;  for  in  a 
hostile  community  a  franchise  is  of  little  value,  either  as  an 
asset  or  a  means  of  protection.     Consequently  the  best  efforts 
of  all  officers  and  employes  connected  with  a  utility   company 
should  be  put  forth  to  please  the  people — so  that  every  word  and 
act  will  carry  a  suggestion  or  conviction  that  corporation  men  are 
really  human — that  they  desire  to  serve  the  public  conscient- 
ously  and  honestly,  and  that  if  mistakes  are  made  and  errors  are 
discovered,  they  will  be  speedily  and  willingly  rectified.     Now, 
there  are  three  principal  ways  or  angles  by  means  of  which  the 
public  reaches  its  conclusions  about  a  utility  company,  and  these 
may  be  termed  the  "points  of  contact."     The  first  point- is  letter 
writing,  the  second  is  the  telephone  and  the  third  is  the  personal 
contact.     If  one  were  asked,  "Which  of  these  points  is  the  most 
important?"  a  reply  might  be  given  by  asking  "Which  is  the 
most  important  leg  of  a  three-legged  stool?"     All  points  of  con- 
tact must  be  carefully  protected,  otherwise  the  object  to  be 
attained  will  be  postponed  or  entirely  defeated.     If  two  legs  of  a 
stool  are  strong  and  the  other  weak,  then  all  are  weak.     If  two 

38 


CONGENIAL  CONTACTS  39 

of  the  points  of  contact  in  a  utility  company's  organization  are 
fulfilling  their  functions,  and  the  other  is  not  working  harmoni- 
ously, then  the  harm  being  done  in  one  direction  is  probably 
counteracting  the  good  work  done  in  other  ways.  The  different 
points  of  contact  will  first  be  considered  separately,  and  then  as  a 
whole. 

Letter  Writing 
If  there  is  any  kind  of  work  that  requires  thoughtful  considera- 
tion on  the  part  of  a  business  man  it  is  that  of  writing  letters.  It 
was  Bacon  who  said,  "Reading  maketh  a  full  man,  talking 
maketh  a  ready  man  and  writing  maketh  an  exact  man."  How- 
ever, exactness  is  not  the  only  consideration  in  a  letter  emanating 
from  the  ofhce  of  a  utility  company.  In  order  to  produce  the 
desired  effect  it  must  be  couched  in  language  which  will  also 
convey  consideration  and  courtesy.  The  writing  of  letters  is  of 
vital  importance  in  connection  with  the  relations  of  the  larger 
companies  with  their  consumers.  It  is  of  more  importance  to 
larger  companies  only  because  a  greater  amount  of  business  is 
transacted  by  means  of  letters  in  the  company  that  numbers  its 
consumers  by  tens  of  thousands,  than  in  the  company  that 
counts  its  customers  by  hundreds.  One  of  the  penalties  of  a 
company  becoming  large  is  that  because  of  a  greater  and  more 
extensive  territory  served,  patrons  cannot  always  find  it  con- 
venient to  make  personal  calls  and  tell  of  their  wants  or  wishes. 
Many  complaints  are  forwarded  in  letters;  many  inquiries  are 
received  and  requests  made  through  the  mail.  A  letter  in  itself 
is  only  cold  type,  dry  ink  and  thin  paper.  The  gesture,  the  facial 
expression,  the  twinkle  of  the  eye  and  the  nod  of  the  head  are  all 
absent.  Just  the  naked  words  are  there  to  do  the  talking; 
consequently  one  must  be  more  than  careful  in  the  selection  and 
use  of  the  words  that  are  written.  After  what  has  been  dictated 
has  been  forgotten  by  the  sender,  the  letter  remains  in  the  other 
fellow's  possession,  and  he  may  take  it  up  now  and  again  to  look 
at  and  ponder  over  it.  If  it  contained  anything  that  hurt  when 
received,  it  probably  hurts  more  each  time  it  is  re-read,  and  it  is 
more  than  likely  the  reader  will  eventually  work  himself  up  to  a 
point  of  explosion.  A  hot  letter  sent  in  reply  to  a  caustic  com- 
munication received  is  poor  business.  The  answering  epistle 
may  be  cleverly  constructed,  really  smart,  and  burn  with  righte- 
ous indignation — but  what  good  does  it  do  the  company?  If 
the  customer  who  writes  a  letter  has  some  grievance,  real  or 


40  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

imaginary,  he  had  better  be  conciliated  by  receiving  a  reply  with 
full  information,  if  possible,  regarding  all  the  circumstances  sur- 
rounding the  alleged  cause  for  complaint.     It  is  bad  policy  to 
word  a  letter,  even  if  the  facts  seem  to  justify,  that  will  make  a 
consumer  feel  humiliated,  because  he  has  made  an  erroneous 
statement  or  an  unwarranted  charge.     There  is  nothing  gained 
by  such  a  method — and  on  the  other  hand — more  trouble  is 
invited.     It  is  easy  for  an  employe  with  a  candid  opinion  to  elimi- 
nate many  friends  for  the  company  with  which  he  is  connected. 
Requests  for  service  are  frequently  received  by  letter.     It  is  al- 
ways easy  to  please  if  requests  are  granted  upon  application — 
\    but  when  they  cannot  be  conceded,  or  can  only  be  granted  under 
\    certain  restricted  conditions,  carefully  worded  letters  are  essential 
\_when  replies  are  sent.     Some  people  have  an  idea  that  every 
public  utility   company  should   supply  service  upon  demand. 
Whenever  possible  such  people  should  be  talked  to  personally 
by  an  employe  with  a  tactful  tongue  and  a  patient  disposition. 
But  if  a  letter  is  to  be  sent  informing  the  writer  that  service  must 
be  refused,  then  it  should  contain  a  careful  and  considerate  ex- 
»   planation,  stating  clearly  and  concisely  all  the  facts,  with  the 
I   thought  in  mind  that  the  letter  so  written  may  not  only  have  to 
I    satisfy  the  customer,  but  that  it  also  may  be  passed  upon  by  the 
Public  Utility  Commission  if  the  customer  should  forward  it  to 
that  body. 

Letter  writing  may  be  considered  a  valuable  aid  in  business 
building,  and  here  again  the  form  or  style  either  wins  what  is 
wanted  or  loses  out.  Letters  are  a  dignified  and  desirable  means 
of  drawing  the  attention  of  selected  people  to  any  subject  of 
special  interest,  and  are  always  productive  of  good  results. 
Such  letters  should  have  the  personal  touch,  and  should  be  neat 
and  attractive  in  style  and  diction,  carefully  avoiding  any 
resemblance  to  a  communication  which  might  be  considered 
general  in  its  character.  Letters  sent  to  customers  should  contain 
few  technical  expressions  and  no  abbreviations.  Most  people 
are  now  familiar  with  kilowatt  hours,  but  few  know  about 
K.W.H.'s  or  K.V.A.'s.  The  customer  wants  light  or  power,  not 
explanations  regarding  voltage  and  amperes.  Letter  writing  is 
an  art  which  may  be  freely  used  to  please  consumers  and  streng- 
then a  business — but  an  ill-worded  or  discourteous  letter  is 
much  more  dangerous  than  the  same  number  of  words  when 
recklessly  spoken. 


CONGENIAL  CONTACTS  41 

The  Telephone 

The  manager  of  an  electric  company  who  is  at  all  observing, 
fully  realizes  how  much  of  the  company's  business  is  handled  over 
the  telephone  and  with  what  rapdity  the  number  of  telephone 
calls  increases.  This  point  of  contact  bids  fair  to  become  one 
day  the  most  important  of  all  in  so  far  as  numbers  of  consumers 
handled  is  concerned.  Perhaps  even  today,  the  telephone  is  the 
door  through  which  most  of  the  company's  patrons  enter  to 
transact  their  business.  It  is  not  difficult  to  realize  how  essential 
it  is  to  keep  this  door  well  oiled  and  well  attended.  It  should  be 
remembered  that  there  are  always  three  parties  to  a  telephone 
call: 

(1)  The  person  calling 

(2)  The  telephone  company 

(3)  The  person  called 

That  one  or  two  of  these  parties  do  their  work  properly  is  not 
sufficient.  Concentration  is  the  watchword  of  efficiency  on  the 
telephone  and  the  cooperation  of  all  three  is  necessary.  It  may 
be  assumed  that  the  telephone  company  does  its  part  perfectly, 
that  its  service  is  sufficient  and  its  operators  attentive.  For  the 
present,  therefore,  we  will  consider  only  the  person  calling  and 
the  person  called,  and  their  relation  the  one  to  the  other. 

Employes  of  a  central  station  company  should  have  clear  and 
frequent  instructions  how  to  talk  over  a  telephone,  not  only  from 
the  business  standpoint,  but  also  from  the  standpoint  of  me- 
chanical necessity.  Again  it  is  affirmed — concentration  is  essen- 
tial. No  successful  conversation  was  ever  conducted  by  one  who 
tried  to  telephone  and  at  the  same  time  add  a  column  of  figures 
or  talk  to  a  third  person.  In  order  to  avoid  the  annoyance  of 
shouting  or  having  to  repeat,  one  should  speak  directly  and  dis- 
tinctly into  the  transmitter,  with  the  lips  close  to  the  mouthpiece. 
This  may  seem  a  point  that  everyone  understands — but  such  is 
not  the  case.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  see  a  man  talking  in  a 
direction  quite  opposite  to  the  location  of  the  transmitter.  If 
the  other  party  hears,  it  is  a  miracle.  It  is  also  necessary  to 
speak  slowly.  Half  the  art  of  good  telephoning  lies  in  deliberate 
talking.  This  means  clearness  and  emphasis.  In  telephone 
usage,  the  tone  and  manner  of  speech,  and  the  choice  of  words 
has  everything  to  do  with  the  feeling  created.  The  spoken  word 
and  the  inflection  conveys  whatever  idea  each  party  gets  of  the 


42  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

other.  The  impression  made  is  entirely  by  what  one  says  and 
the  way  he  says  it,  and  here  is  where  the  element  of  courtesy 
steps  in  and  oils  the  machinery.  But  to  be  really  courteous  in 
telephone  usage  involves  more  than  pleasant  tones.  When  the 
average  man  meets  the  people  in  whom  he  is  interested,  or  even 
causal  acquaintances,  maybe  even  those  who  are  strangers,  his 
manner  is  gracious  and  his  bearing  such  as  to  gain  and  retain 
friendship  and  good  will.  This  same  consideration  of  others 
should  not  be  forgotten  in  telephoning.  It  is  well  to  assume  that 
the  man  at  the  other  end  of  the  line  is  a  friend,  and  that  he  is 
entitled  to  treatment  entirely  free  from  harsh  tones  and  abrupt 
language,  such  as  would  not  be  used  in  personal  contact.  A 
telephone  manner  may  become  a  valuable  asset  or  an  embarrass- 
ing liability. 

In  a  large  organization  there  is  often  great  difficulty  and  much 
delay  in  reaching  the  party  wanted.  This  trouble  may  be 
minimized  by  the  adoption  of  proper  methods.  The  telephone 
operators  in  large  corporations  should  be  quick  to  understand 
what  individual  or  what  department  is  wanted  when  calls  come 
in.  The  words  "One  moment,  please,"  will  help  things  while 
switching  and  ringing  the  individual  required.  If  possible,  one 
switch  from  the  private  central  is  all  there  should  be,  but  if  it  is 
necessary  to  switch  from  one  operator  to  another,  and  then  to  a 
third  party,  no  time  should  be  lost  in  making  the  connection. 
The  operators  of  a  private  exchange  should  be  able  to  interpret 
incoming  calls,  so  that  mistakes  in  getting  the  wrong  party  may 
be  avoided.  Nothing  will  more  quickly  wear  out  a  customer  who 
may  be  trying  to  do  business  with  a  company  than  to  hold  a 
telephone  receiver  to  his  ear  and  have  to  wait  while  he  is  being 
switched  from  one  office  to  another,  and  required  to  tell  his  story 
over  again  each  time  he  talks  to  a  different  party.  A  telephone 
call  for  any  person  in  the  office  is  equivalent  to  leaving  a  calling 
card,  and  is  entitled  to  a  polite  response.  If  the  person  called  is 
out,  the  operator  should  inquire  if  anyone  else  will  do.  If  no 
one  else  will  do,  the  operator  should  then  say,  "Mr.  Blank  is  out, 
but  if  you  will  leave  your  name  and  number,  he  will  be  pleased 
to  call  you  immediately  on  his  return." 

In  answering  telephone  calls,  the  operator  should  use  the 
company's  name,  the  name  of  the  department,  or  the  telephone 
number,  as  best  fits  the  situation.     "Hello"  is  not. a  good  word 


CONGENIAL  CONTACTS  43 

to  use,  nor  is  any  other  expression  which  does  not  convey  informa- 
tion to  the  calhng  party,  so  that  he  is  in  position  to  proceed  with- 
out delay.  "What  is  it,  please?"  although  courteous,  does  not 
meet  the  situation  as  the  use  of  any  such  indefinite  phrase  leads 
to  needless  questioning  and  delay.  In  a  large  organization, 
it  is  particularly  needful  that  each  employe  should  be  shown  the 
way  he  is  expected  to  answer  the  telephone,  and  someone  should 
see  that  the  instructions  are  consistently  followed.  Telephone 
calls  should  be  answered  promptly.  A  telephone  call  neglected 
means  delay  for  the  calling  party  and  perhaps  the  loss  of  a  call. 
As  far  as  possible  the  ofRce  boy  should  be  relieved  of  the  work  of 
getting  calls  for  his  chief — the  party  calling  should  always  be 
ready  to  talk  when  the  party  called  answers.  It  is  painful  all 
round  to  have  someone  "hold  the  wire"  unnecessarily  while 
someone  else  is  attending  to  other  work.  Sometimes  upon  the 
manner  in  which  what  may  seem  to  be  a  casual  call  is  answered 
may  depend  the  obtaining  of  an  important  piece  of  business. 
With  a  central  station  company  there  should  always  be  an  expert 
on  the  line  that  receives  complaints  and  another  on  the  line  that 
handles  inquiries  for  service.  These  lines  are  equally  important 
and  should  be  well  guarded. 

It  has  been  assumed  that  the  telephone  service  itself  is  perfect 
— but  as  is  well  known,  such  is  not  always  the  case,  and  poor 
telephone  service  may  often  be  a  handicap  for  the  central  station 
company  to  contend  with.  However,  telephone  employes  can 
also  be  polite,  and  evidently  none  more  so  than  those  who  handle 
the  lines  and  switchboards  in  China.  When  a  subscriber  rings 
up  the  exchange  in  that  country,  the  operator  may  be  expected 
to  ask:  "What  number  does  the  honorable  son  of  the  moon  and 
stars  desire?"  "Hohi,  two-three."  Silence.  Then  the  ex- 
change resumes:  "Will  the  honorable  person  graciously  forgive 
inadequacy  of  the  insignificant  service,  and  permit  the  humble 
slave  of  the  wire  to  inform  him  that  the  never-to-be-sufficiently 
censured  line  is  busy?"  While  this  illustration  may  be  a  great 
exaggeration  it  is  much  pleasanter  to  hear  than  the  opposite.  It 
seems  that  for  many  in  using  the  telephone  it  is  especially  easy 
to  be  gruff  and  abrupt  and  turn  friends  into  enemies  because, 
maybe,  one  thinks  he  is  busy.  An  employe  is  never  so  busy 
that  he  cannot  furnish  the  public  with  proper  information,  and 
should  do  so  courteously  even  over  the  telephone. 


44  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

Personal  Contact 

The  points  of  personal  contact  in  the  central  station  company's 
organization  are  numerous  and  important.  In  the  office  there 
are  many  clerks,  and  on  the  outside — calling  upon  consumers  at 
their  places  of  business,  or  in  their  homes — are  salesmen,  col- 
lectors, meter-readers,  troublemen  and  inspectors.  And  this  is 
not  all,  for  at  times  there  are  also  linemen,  construction  men 
and  service  men.  The  work  of  these  men  is  varied,  but  in  some 
respects  they  should  all  act  in  the  same  way.  Each  should  under- 
stand his  own  duties,  and  leave  a  good  impression  on  the  con- 
sumer after  he  has  finished  his  particular  business,  so  that  the 
next  man  coming  along  and  representing  the  same  company,  may 
find  the  consumer  in  a  friendly  frame  of  mind,  because  of  the 
good  treatment  received  at  the  hands  of  employes  who  preceded. 
Where  all  employes  should  be  alike  is  in  seeing  that  the  consumer 
receives  the  considerate,  careful,  attentive  and  courteous  treat- 
ment to  which  he  is  entitled.  If  this  is  consistently  accorded 
to  the  consumer,  the  clerk  in  the  office  will  receive  smiles  when 
he  is  given  an  error  to  correct — the  salesman  will  be  handed  a  pat 
on  the  back  when  the  customer  bestows  the  order  the  salesman 
desires.  The  collector  will  be  welcomed  as  a  friendly  visitor; 
the  meter-reader  will  be  asked  to  come  oftener — and  the  trouble- 
man  and  the  inspector  will  be  invited  in  for  a  cup  of  tea.  As  for 
the  lineman,  serviceman  and  construction  boss — when  these 
men  are  careful  of  the  trees,  shrubs,  flowers  and  lawns  when 
doing  their  work,  and  clean  up  the  mess  they  usually  make  before 
they  leave,  they  will  receive  commendation  that  will  reach  the 
ears  of  the  president  of  the  company.  These  conditions  may  be 
ideal,  but  they  are  not  impossible.  They  may  be  termed  vision- 
ary, but  in  reality  they  have  been  known  to  occur.  Politeness 
is  like  an  air  cushion — there  may  be  nothing  in  it,  but  it  eases  the 
jolts  wonderfully.  Consideration  for  and  attention  to  the  other 
fellow's  requests  may  take  a  little  effort,  but  if  regularly  prac- 
ticed they  will  earn  immense  dividends.  This  is  the  easy  way 
to  handle  the  company's  business.  It  follows  the  line  of  least 
resistance,  yet  always  produces  satisfactory  returns.  The  day 
has  long  passed  when  there  can  exist  any  "Corporation  versus 
The  Public"  attitude.  It  is  now  the  community  of  interest  idea 
that  does  the  business.  The  modern  public  policy  is  for  the 
utility  corporation  to  concede  to  its  consumers  and  the  public 
every  request  that  is  reasonable,  and  the  result  now  is  that  the 


CONGENIAL  CONTACTS  45 

public  in  the  main  abstains  from  making  unreasonable  requests. 
The  proper  attitude  at  all  points  of  personal  contact  can  result 
only  in  improving  the  relations  between  the  company  and  its 
consumers,  and  enhancing  the  value  of  its  service. 

It  has  been  said  that  "Sometime  in  the  future,  a  nation's 
civilization  will  be  measured  largely  in  terms  of  kilowatt-hours 
consumed  per  human  being  per  year."  If  such  is  the  case,  then 
the  aim  should  be  steadily  to  increase  the  number  of  kilowatt- 
hours  consumed.  At  each  of  the  points  of  contact  between  the 
company  and  the  public  there  are  valuable  opportunities  for 
making  friends  and  adding  new  consumers,  thereby  increasing 
the  demand  for  the  company's  product.  Each  employe  should 
regularly  ask  himself,  "Am  I  making  the  most  of  the  opportuni- 
ties offered  so  that  the  public  and  my  company  may  reap  the 
full  benefit?"  If  every  employe  would  only  do  just  a  little  more 
each  day  what  would  eventually  be  the  outcome?  It  is  just  the 
additional  little  margin  that  wins,  whether  in  time  or  in  toil, 
in  power  or  in  energy,  in  attention  or  in  earnestness.  Just  the 
additional  little  margin  of  effort  at  the  points  of  contact,  patiently 
and  tactfully  to  inform  the  public  concerning  those  things  which 
they  should  rightfully  know,  will  mean  another  step  toward 
that  goal  all  men  with  high  ideals  would  reach — perfection. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THAT  THE  PEOPLE  MAY  KNOW 

In  no  detail  of  the  management  of  a  modern  utility  company 
has  there  been  a  more  striking  "right  about  face"  change  during 
recent  years,  than  in  the  matter  of  informing  the  public.  It  is 
not  so  long  ago  that  the  public  policy  of  most  companies  was  to 
tell  the  public  nothing.  All  matters  concerning  a  company's 
plans  and  operations  were  kept  secret,  and  if  a  corporation  were 
attacked,  no  matter  now  viciously,  no  comment  was  made  or 
defense  set  up,  the  theory  being  that  if  let  alone  the  attackers 
would  wear  themselves  out.  Naturally  the  public  stood  by  and 
wondered.  The  people  wanted  the  truth,  but  had  no  way  of 
obtaining  it — and  most  frequently  were  compelled  to  believe 
what  was  said  against  a  company  because  the  charges  that  were 
made  went  uncontradicted.  Such  a  policy  if  indefinitely  con- 
tinued is  nothing  short  of  suicidal.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that 
most  managers  have  dropped  the  old  methods  of  secrecy  and  are 
gradually  taking  up  with  the  new  policy  of  publicity.  It  was 
Emerson  who  said,  "Trust  men  and  they  will  be  true  to  you," 
and  in  order  to  demonstrate  to  a  man  that  he  is  trusted,  you  must 
take  him  into  your  confidence. 

There  are  several  ways  of  informing  the  public  as  to  the  aims 
and  operations  of  a  utility  company — but,  after  all,  the  principal 
means  is  through  the  newspapers  published  in  the  territory  in 
which  a  company  supplies  service.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  one 
publicity  medium  which  has  become  an  absolute  necessity  to 
modern  civilization  is  the  daily  newspaper.  The  columns  of 
newspapers  are  reserved  for  two  purposes  by  their  owners, 
namely,  news  and  advertising.  The  newspaper's  income  is 
derived  from  its  advertising,  but  the  public  buys  it  because  of  the 
news  it  is  expected  to  contain.  Advertising  space  is  a  valuable 
commodity  which  a  newspaper  sells,  and  upon  which  it  pays  its 
expenses  and  makes  its  profit.  A  public  utility  company  should 
be  a  liberal  advertiser,  because  of  the  benefits  it  will  derive  from 
attracting  attention  to  the  advantages  of  using  the  commodity 

46 


THAT  THE  PEOPLE  MAY  KNOW  47 

in  which  the  utility  is  directly  interested.  A  public  utility 
company  has  also  much  of  importance  to  report  concerning  which 
the  public  should  be  informed,  and  which  is  distinctly  news,  and 
should  be  published  in  the  news  columns  of  the  daily  papers. 
Practically  every  newspaper  subscriber  is  a  consumer  of  elec- 
tricity, and  it  follows  in  natural  sequence  that  all  consumers  and 
subscribers  are  very  vitally  interested  in  everything  pertaining 
to  the  service  supplied,  and  in  the  company  which  takes  care  of 
their  necessities.  When  allotting  advertising  and  distributing 
news  items  the  utility  company  cannot  afford  to  ignore  the  small 
dailies  in  favor  of  the  larger  papers  published  locally  or  in  neigh- 
boring cities,  even  though  the  larger  papers  claim  a  substantial 
circulation  in  the  smaller  communities.  In  an  exhaustive  analy- 
sis of  the  newspaper  situation  the  "Editor  and  Publisher"  of 
New  York,  a  recognized  authority  in  the  newspaper  world,  points 
out  that  the  big  metropolitan  papers  can  never  serve  as  a  satis- 
factory substitute  for  the  close  local  appeal  of  the  home  dailies. 
It  says:  "The  considerations  which  render  the  local  daily 
newspaper  an  essential  factor  in  the  life  of  its  community  serve 
to  make  its  advertising  space  an  essential  factor  in  any 
campaign  of  localized  national  advertising.  Such  newspapers 
are  a  part  of  the  routine  of  life  in  their  cities.  They  deal  with 
near-at-hand  concerns  and  people  and  affairs."  Consequently 
in  order  "That  the  People  May  Know,"  the  columns  of  all 
newspapers,  big  and  Httle,  having  a  circulation  in  a  community, 
should  be  utilized  by  the  company  having  advertising  to  allot 
or  a  story  to  tell. 

What  is  it  then  that  the  people  should  know?  A  well  known 
writer  once  said,  "The  public  wishes  itself  to  be  managed  like  a 
woman;  one  must  say  nothing  to  it  except  what  it  likes  to  hear." 
Experience  does  not  indicate  that  such  is  the  attitude  of  the 
public  today — what  it  seems  to  want  is  the  news,  and  above  all 
it  wants  the  facts.  Far  better  for  a  utility  company  to  stick  to 
the  old  policy  of  secrecy  about  its  affairs,  than  to  hand  out  per- 
verted news  and  stories  containing  half  truths.  Sooner  or  later 
the  whole  truth  will  come  out,  and  then  the  company  that  has 
been  side-stepping  will  be  discredited,  and  later  even  the  actual 
truth  when  published  about  other  matters  will  be  dubiously 
received.  There  is  so  much  of  interest  and  educational  value 
that  a  utility  company  may  tell,  and  repeat  at  intervals,  that  it 
would    be    practically    impossible    to   enumerate    all   subjects. 


48  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

However,  it  may  be  desirable  to  touch  on  some  of  the  more  im- 
portant. 

Financial  News 
Not  long  ago  a  retired  business  man  living  in  New  York 
received  a  circular  from  a  bond  house  announcing  that  a  certain 
California  power  company  was  floating  a  new  issue  of  its  bonds 
amounting  to  sixteen  million  dollars.  The  circular  was  of  the 
usual  character  setting  forth  the  company's  financial  position 
and  earning  power.  The  New  York  man  had  a  relative  con- 
nected with  the  power  company,  and  as  he  was  interested  in  the 
issue,  wrote  asking  for  first  hand  information.  He  particularly 
desired  to  know,  when  he  wrote  making  inquiries,  how  it  was 
possible  "for  a  company  to  be  so  remarkably  prosperous  and 
yet  be  so  darned  hard  up."  It  is  fair  to  assume  that  the  average 
man  of  affairs,  not  connected  with  the  public  utility  business, 
knows  little  about  the  methods  of  financing  such  a  property,  and 
the  fact  that  under  regulation  the  amount  of  a  utility's  earnings 
are  limited  to  a  relatively  small  percentage  of  the  actual  money 
invested  in  the  property.  While  interest  and  sinking  fund 
charges  are  taken  care  of,  and  a  proper  depreciation  allowance 
is  recognized,  all  expenditures  for  additions,  and  betterments 
must  be  made  from  funds  derived  from  sources  outside  the 
company  itself.  A  utility  company,  supplying  service  in  a 
prosperous  community,  cannot  stand  still — it  must  grow — and 
consequently  must  always  be  adding  to  its  capital  account.  But 
capital  is  sensitive  and  will  only  go  where  there  is  confidence — and 
confidence  is  founded  upon  knowledge.  Such  being  the  case,  it 
is  surely  desirable  to  inform  the  public  regarding  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  operation  of  a  utility  company  in  its  relations 
with  its  employes,  its  service  to  consumers,  and  its  intercourse 
with  the  people  in  the  territory  occupied.  There  are  no  secrets 
that  a  properly  operated  utility  need  attempt  to  conceal.  The 
cards  may  all  be  turned  face  upwards — the  doors  left  wide  open, 
and  the  books  made  available  for  inspection.  At  such  times  as  a 
company  may  be  offering  its  securities  for  sale,  there  are  splendid 
opportunities  for  real  news  stories  which  the  press  will  readily 
accept.  What  has  been  accomplished  in  the  past  may  be  at- 
tractively presented,  and  what  the  company  proposes  to  do  with 
additional  capital  in  the  way  of  substantial  development  may  be 
set  forth  truthfully  and  attractively.  The  trouble  is  that  many 
utility  managers,  though  not  belonging  to  the  old  secretive  class, 


THAT  THE  PEOPLE  MAY  KNOW  49 

assume  the  public  knows  much  that  it  has  no  means  of  learning 
— unless  the  utility  company  itself  sees  that  the  desired  informa- 
tion is  wisely  spread  through  all  available  channels. 

Power  Development 
That  the  People  May  Know  something  concerning  the  diffi- 
culties of  production  of  the  commodity  distributed,  it  is  well  to 
make  public,  through  the  columns  of  the  newspapers,  all  stories 
concerning  the  building  of  new  hydroelectric  properties,  including 
their  location,  cost,  period  required  for  construction,  transmission 
difficulties,  and  all  details  connected  with  the  work  of  wresting 
the  energy  from  the  waterfall  and  delivering  it  at  some  point  of 
use,  maybe  hundreds  of  miles  distant.  The  public  should  be 
informed  under  what  conditions  the  company  is  allowed  to  harness 
the  falling  water  at  each  new  development,  and  what  the  work 
means  along  the  lines  of  conservation.  That  if  the  energy  in  the 
mountain  stream  is  not  utilized,  it  is  a  loss  which  cannot  be  made 
up  in  other  ways,  for  after  the  water  has  once  passed  the  fall,  it 
has  gone  forever.  On  the  other  hand,  if  harnessed  it  becomes  a 
perpetual  asset,  available  for  present  and  future  generations. 
The  power  developed  by  means  of  coal  or  fuel  oil,  carries  a  different 
story.  For  every  ton  of  coal  or  barrel  of  oil  taken  from  the 
ground,  there  is  just  that  much  less  to  be  drawn  upon.  Steam 
generated  energy  means  the  using  up  of  the  country's  resources, 
while  hydroelectric  energy  is  the  essence  of  conservation.  These 
are  the  facts  which  may  be  woven  into  fascinating  news  stories, 
and  to  many  people  they  will  read  like  fairy  tales.  Let  us  assume 
a  great  corporation  calls  for  a  loan  of  ten  or  fifteen  or  twenty 
millions  of  dollars  for  the  development  of  some  giant  power  pro- 
ject and  the  funds  are  made  available.  Most  likely  the  work  will 
be  carried  on  in  almost  inaccessible  mountain  fastnesses.  The 
money  will  be  spent  in  driving  long  tunnels  and  constructing 
high  dams,  and  millions  will  be  distributed  for  labor  in  the  em- 
ployment of  thousands  of  men  for  many  months  at  a  time.  For- 
tunes will  be  invested  in  machinerj^  and  equipment  and  the 
desired  end  will  be  attained  only  after  years  of  almost  endless 
toil  and  patient  waiting.  Surely  these  are  things  which  must  be 
of  interest  to  present  and  prospective  bond  holders  and  stock- 
holders and  the  general  public.  But  security  holders  and  others 
cannot  know  all  that  is  being  done  unless  the  story  is  written  in 
an  interesting  manner,  and  told  as  news  through  the  columns  of 
the  daily  papers. 


50  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

Important  Extensions 
In  the  great  West,  and  on  the  Pacific  slope,  most  of  the  cities 
depend  for  their  growth  upon  what  is  generally  known  as  the 
"back  country."  When  an  electric  company,  by  the  extension 
of  its  lines  into  new  territory,  reclaims  thousands  of  acres  of 
of  desert  lands,  it  does  much  not  only  for  the  new  communities 
served,  but  also  for  the  neighboring  cities  and  towns.  Great 
quantities  of  food  stuffs  are  produced,  which  must  be  marketed, 
and  most  of  the  money  received  is  spent  close  at  home.  This 
means  that  because  of  the  investment  made  by  the  electric  com- 
pany all  of  the  nearby  towns  are  benefited.  The  merchants  sell 
more  goods,  the  real  estate  men  sell  more  land,  the  bank  deposits 
swell,  the  theaters  do  more  business,  and  incidentally,  the  circu- 
lation of  the  newspaper  increases.  The  intelligent  editor  is 
glad  to  have  such  news  at  first  hand  and  it  is  up  to  the  company  to 
give  it  to  him  in  detail — that  the  people  may  know.  The  exten- 
sion of  electric  lines  depends  almost  entirely  upon  the  amount  of 
money  that  company  heads  are  able  to  secure  from  Eastern  or 
local  investors,  and  the  thoughtful  people  who  read  newspapers 
will  realize  the  immense  significance  of  all  news  of  this  character. 

Power  Uses 
The  service  of  electric  energy  is  unique.  Except  to  a  very 
limited  extent  it  cannot  be  stored  and  consequently  must  be 
produced  the  instant  the  demand  is  made  by  throwing  a  switch 
or  turning  a  button.  The  average  consumer  has  no  knowledge 
of  this  fact — or  how  much  the  company  does  so  as  to  be  in  readi- 
ness to  serve  him  at  any  moment.  Does  the  grocer,  butcher  or 
baker  serve  him  as  quickly?  Are  the  street-car,  the  telephone  or 
the  telegraph  companies  at  his  command  as  readily?  Does  the 
gas  company  or  the  water  company,  who  may  store  their  products 
go  to  anything  like  the  same  trouble  and  expense  to  be  at  the 
consumer's  beck  and  call?  When  new  enterprises  are  induced  to 
locate  in  a  community,  it  is  often  because  of  the  availability  of 
an  abundance  of  electric  power.  The  price  at  which  electric 
energy  may  be  obtained  is  often  a  deciding  factor  in  influencing 
large  industries  to  build  their  plants  in  a  city  and  give  employ- 
ment to  hundreds  of  men.  Through  the  newspapers  the  public 
should  be  informed  of  what  the  company  has  done  in  building 
up  the  territory.  It  is  news  to  tell  of  the  prospective  or  actual 
location  of  an  enterprise  through  the  promotion  work  and  sales 
efforts  of  the  power  company.     When  new  street  lighting  systems 


THAT  THE  PEOPLE  MAY  KNOW  51 

are  installed  in  a  city,  that  is  good  news  to  the  people,  and  will  be 
read  with  interest.  When  new  uses  are  found  for  electricity 
whereby  labor  is  lightened  or  the  world  benefited,  there  is  no 
better  or  more  interesting  reading  for  the  average  man  or  woman, 
and  stories  of  new  and  important  uses  for  electricity  are  of 
frequent  occurrence — but  the  people  won't  know  them  unless 
they  read  them  as  news  in  the  papers.  The  growth  of  public 
utility  corporations  and  the  absorption  or  amalgamation  of  other 
companies  in  nearby  or  distant  territories,  all  indicating  the 
march  of  progress,  are  naturally  interesting  item.s  to  newspaper 
readers.  Such  expansions  and  consolidations  tend  to  produce 
better  service,  and  consumers  of  the  company  and  subscribers 
of  the  papers  should  have  all  the  fact  spread  before  them. 

Personal  Items 
Personal  items  are  the  smallest  things  a  newspaper  prints,  but 
they  contain  the  vital  matter — the  human  element.  The  value 
of  a  personal  item  conforms  to  the  sphere  of  acquaintance  of  the 
person  mentioned.  An  officer  of  a  public  service  company 
becomes  a  public  servant  and  as  such  he  must  at  times  consider 
himself  as  public  property.  In  many  communities,  the  district 
manager  of  a  utility  company  comes  in  contact  with  more  people 
in  his  town  than  any  other  man.  His  assistants  are  also  person- 
ally known  to  many.  If  these  people  are  promoted,  married  or 
afflicted,  what  happens  to  them  interests  many — not  because 
they  are  more  important  than  anyone  else,  but  because  more  peo- 
ple know  them.  The  movements  of  general  officers  of  a  company 
are  usually  of  interest  to  others — because  these  men  circulate 
in  the  territory  served  in  order  that  they  may  see  and  understand 
local  conditions,  so  that  improvements  may  be  instigated  and 
expenditures  authorized.  It  frequently  happens  that  company 
officials  may  be  creditably  connected  with  other  financial,  indus- 
trial, civic  or  national  organizations  and  have  been  public  bene- 
factors and  maybe  have  attained  special  honors  or  distinction 
along  other  lines.  All  personal  items  of  this  character  are  news, 
and  should  be  circulated  among  local  papers  at  the  proper  time, 
so  that  the  people  may  know. 

Welfare  Work 
A  public  utility  company  should  be  a  leader  among  the  business 
organfzations  in  a  community,  and  a  pioneer  in  initiating  and 
adopting  progressive  methods.     In  this  connection  there  is  no 


52  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

more  important  matter  than  the  relation  between  the  company 
and  its  employes.  There  is  much  being  accomplished  along  the 
lines  of  welfare  work  for  the  benefit  of  employes,  of  which  the 
public  hears  little.  There  are  educational  advantages,  medical 
services,  sick  benefit  funds,  accident  indemnities,  life  insurance 
plans  and  pension  systems  in  which  the  people  have  more  than  a 
passing  interest.  It  is  a  source  of  satisfaction  for  the  average 
man  to  know  that  the  corporation  to  which  he  regularly  pays  his 
money  has  a  paternal  interest  in  its  employes  and  offers  them 
present  and  future  protection.  The  newspapers  appreciate  the 
value  of  such  important  news  stories  as  may  be  given  out  regard- 
ing the  inauguration  or  progress  of  any  welfare  work  which  is  of 
interest  alike  to  the  company  and  its  employes. 

State  Regulation 

In  nearly  all  states  there  is  now  a  Public  Utility  Commission, 
each  with  power  to  regulate  the  operations  of  utility  companies 
within  its  jurisdiction.  In  California  this  important  work  is 
delegated  to  the  Railroad  Commission.  Perhaps  in  no  other 
matter  is  it  as  essential  for  the  public  to  be  truthfully  informed  as 
in  connection  with  the  control  and  regulation  of  all  utility  com- 
panies by  the  authorized  body.  The  Commission  establishes  a 
uniform  method  of  accounting,  so  that  each  company's  account- 
ing methods  may  be  along  proper  lines,  and  also  that  the  opera- 
tions of  one  company  may  be  compared  intelligently  with  any 
other  supplying  similar  service.  The  people  should  know  about 
this.  The  Commission  must  approve  the  issuance  of  any  new 
corporation  securities  before  they  may  be  legally  marketed,  and 
at  the  same  time  fixes  the  minimum  price  to  be  received  by  the 
corporation  for  such  securities.  The  Commission  also  must  be 
informed  as  to  how  the  money  obtained  from  the  sale  of  securities 
is  to  be  spent.  The  reasons  for  all  this  scutiny  are  that  there 
shall  be  no  over  capitalization,  or  what  was  formerly  termed 
"water  stock,"  that  there  shall  be  no  bonds  issued  without  ade- 
quate security  to  the  purchasers,  and  that  the  moneys  derived 
from  selling  securities  shall  only  be  spent  in  additions  and  better- 
ments of  the  property.  The  people  should  be  informed  of  this. 
The  Utility  Commission  has  absolute  control  over  all  rates  for 
service  and  rules  governing  same.  The  Commission  fixes  or 
approves  rates  upon  the  basis  of  a  reasonable  return  upon  .actual 
investment.     Operating  costs  are  carefully  investigated,  interest 


THAT  THE  PEOPLE  MAY  KNOW  53 

and  depreciation  charges  analyzed,  and  rates  fixed  along  scientific 
lines.  The  people  ought  to  know  this.  The  Commission  lays 
down  certain  standards  of  service  which  utility  companies  must 
follow.  Intercourse  with  consumers  in  the  matter  of  extensions, 
complaints,  credits  and  payments  are  prescribed,  all  of  which 
affect  directly  the  pockets  of  the  public.  The  people  should 
know  this.  The  Public  Utility  Commission  is  constantly  issuing 
orders  affecting  utility  companies  and  their  customers.  These 
orders  are  frequently  of  importance  to  the  individual.  The 
utility  company  manager  should  see  that  all  matters  pertaining 
to  his  company  and  the  utility  commission  should  be  handled  as 
vital  news.  The  people  should  know,  first,  for  their  individual 
information;  second,  to  protect  and  justify  the  company,  and, 
third,  that  the  full  meaning  of  an  order  issued  by  the  Public 
Utility  Commission  may  be  comprehended  by  the  people  for 
whose  benefit  it  is  issued. 

Distribution  of  News 

Just  who  shall  give  out  the  news  from  a  company  is  a  matter  of 
detail.  It  may  be  the  president,  or  it  may  be  the  press  agent, 
but  in  any  event,  it  must  emanate  from  some  person  in  authority, 
who  knows  what  he  is  talking  about.  When  it  is  once  given  to 
the  newspapers,  the  responsibility  of  the  company  ends.  Whe- 
ther it  be  enlarged  or  cut  down,  is  a  matter  which  the  editor 
has  to  judge  and  pass  upon  and  which  usually  depends  on  the 
volume  of  other  news  that  he  has  to  consider  in  the  day's  work. 
A  public  utility  company  should  hand  out  its  news  to  the  daily 
papers  freely  and  impartially,  without  any  attempt  to  color,  and 
absolutely  without  discrimination  as  between  papers.  The 
tipping  off  of  corporation  news  to  favorite  reporters  or  others  by 
various  people  connected  with  the  corporation  will  usually  lead 
to  serious  trouble,  and  give  offense  to  the  paper  or  papers  from 
which  the  news  may  have  been  withheld.  The  main  thing  to 
bear  continually  in  mind  is  that  the  company  almost  constantly 
has  real  news  to  distribute,  that  newspapers  are  glad  to  publish 
it  as  news  and  that  the  people  want  to  read  the  news  concern- 
ing the  utility  corporations  which  are  serving  them.  Conse- 
quently, the  news  should  be  regularly  distributed  to  and  through 
as  many  reputable  newspapers  as  are  published  within  the  com- 
pany's sphere  of  operations — so  That  the  People  May  Know. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  DISPLAY  ROOM 

There  are  three  branches  of  the  electrical  industry  directly 
interested  in  the  sale  and  distribution  of  all  kinds  and  varieties 
of  electrical  appliances,  but  each  class  is  interested  from  a  differ- 
ent angle.  The  first  class  is  the  manufacturer  who  wants  a 
market  for  his  products,  his  particular  desire  being  to  induce 
those  in  the  second  and  third  classes  to  act  as  his  distributors. 
The  second  class  comprises  the  jobber  and  dealer,  and  they  are 
both  merchants  looking  for  a  merchandising  profit.  Their 
interest  in  a  sale  usually  ends  with  the  delivery  of  the  goods. 
The  third  class  is  the  central  station  company  and  its  main  object 
is  not  a  merchandising  profit,  but  a  greater  and  more  diversified 
connected  load.  The  interest  of  those  in  the  third  class  only 
begins  with  the  delivery  of  the  goods;  and  their  benefit  is  con- 
tinuous, like  the  brook  that  "goes  on  forever."  Because  the 
various  branches  of  the  industry  are  interested  in  this  important 
matter,  there  should  be  a  broad  cooperation  existing  between  all 
concerned,  so  that  the  demand  may  be  created  and  the  field 
more  quickly  and  more  effectually  covered. 

The  Display  Room  as  Salesman 

From  the  standpoint  of  the  electric  company,  there  are  three 
principal  ways  of  reaching  the  public,  in  order  to  create  and 
stimulate  the  demand  for  electric  energy  and  increase  the  output 
of  the  central  station  plant.  The  first  is  personal  solicitation, 
the  second  advertising,  and  the  third  the  well-appointed  display 
room.  Now,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  advertising  seldom  carries  the 
persuasion  which  closes  a  contract;  it  takes  the  personal  solicita- 
tion, or  the  kind  of  conviction  that  is  produced  by  actual  ob- 
servation, to  obtain  the  signature  of  a  prospect  to  an  electric 
service  agreement.  Consequently,  experience  has  shown  that 
the  display  room  is  not  only  a  valuable  concomitant  in  connection 
with  advertising,  and  a  useful  assistant  to  the  salesman,  but  is  in 
itself  of  incalculable  benefit  to  an  electrical  distributing  company. 

54 


THE  DISPLAY  ROOM  55 

It  is  a  means  of  directing  the  attention  of  the  pubHc  to  the  actual 
operation  of  various  electrical  devices,  and  thereby  aids  in 
attaining  the  most  desired  objective  of  the  company,  that  is, 
the  building  up  of  a  profitable  load  for  every  hour  of  the  day. 
There  cannot  be  too  many  properly  operated  display  rooms  in  a 
community.  The  manufacturer,  the  dealer  and  the  central 
station  may  each  have  one  on  the  same  street  without  hurting 
each  other,  and,  as  a  consequence,  many  more  appliances  will  be 
sold.  If  the  manufacturer  establishes  an  exhibit  in  a  busy 
center — he  often  creates  a  demand  which  is  cashed  in  by  the 
dealer.  If  the  central  station  maintains  a  display  room  it  helps 
itseK — stimulates  business  for  the  dealer  and  increases  sales  in 
various  directions  which  develop  business  for  the  manufacturer. 
And  as  for  the  dealer,  he  becomes  a  public  benefactor.  In 
addition  to  the  lasting  benefit  which  he  confers  upon  his  customer 
by  inducing  him  to  acquire  and  use  a  tried  and  tested  electrical 
appliance,  he  obtains  a  profit  for  himself — keeps  the  wheels  of 
the  manufacturer  in  more  continuous  motion,  and  adds  to  the 
central  station's  constant  load  and  income.  This  is  the  coopera- 
tion which  really  cooperates,  and  leads  to  a  closer  and  more 
beneficial  connection  among  the  various  branches  of  the  electrical 
industry. 

In  order  properly  to  analyze  the  advantages  and  uses  of  the 
display  room,  the  subject  may  be  studied  from  three  angles: 
(a)  appointments  and  methods;  (b)  value  of  demonstrations;  (c) 
value  of  food  exhibits  in  connection  with  display  rooms.  A  brief 
consideration  of  each  angle  may  be  of  interest. 

Appointments  and  Methods 

In  considering  the  fitting  up  of  a  display  room,  the  first  ques- 
tions to  settle  are  those  pertaining  to  situation  and  size.  The 
room  should  be  centrally  located  in  the  business  portion  of  the 
community,  past  which  many  people  are  continually  coming  and 
going.  There  is  little  use  locating  a  display  room  on  an  out-of- 
the-way  street — to  a  large  extent  this  would  be  like  wasting 
powder  and  shot.  The  room  should  be  commodious  and  of 
sufiicient  area  to  permit  of  the  proper  display  of  all  apparatus 
and  appliances  which  are  to  be  exhibited,  and  at  the  same  time 
allow  a  free  access  for  visitors  to  move  about  without  crowding. 
An  over-crowded  display  room  defeats  its  purpose.  If  the  space 
is  not  ample  it  is  better  to  display  fewer  appliances  and  show  them 


56  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

to  advantage.  The  size  of  the  room  has  Kttle  relation  to  the  size 
of  the  community  in  which  it  is  located.  There  should  be  as  large 
an  exhibit  in  a  town  of  5,000  people  as  in  a  city  with  a  population 
of  50,000 — because  the  number  and  variety  of  appliances  which 
it  is  desirable  to  put  before  the  public  is  the  same  in  each  case. 

The  display  room  should  be  bright,  clean  and  inviting  at  all 
times.  Particular  attention  should  be  given  to  the  color  scheme 
and  illumination.  The  veriest  novice  in  the  business  can  realize 
that  unless  the  room  is  attractive  in  itself,  the  advantages  to  be 
obtained  may  be  minimized,  if  not  altogether  lost.  The  display 
room  should  contain  abundant  stock  and  nothing  but  electrical 
goods.  The  samples  on  exhibition  should  be  scrupulously  clean. 
If  an  electric  fan  is  being  shown  with  dust  on  its  base,  and  fly 
marks  on  the  blades,  the  customer  will  not  be  as  much  impressed 
as  if  there  were  a  clean  base  and  shining  blades.  If  a  customer 
is  looking  at  an  electric  toaster  which  has  previously  been  used 
for  demonstrating,  and  the  bottom  contains  stale  crumbs  and 
dust,  it  will  not  make  the  same  impression  as  if  the  appliance  were 
in  a  spick  and  span  condition. 

In  the  display  room,  the  many  appliances  for  various  kinds 
of  uses  should  be  segregated  into  groups,  so  that  all  pertaining 
to  any  particular  use  may  be  within  easy  reach.  Lamp  exhibits 
should  be  in  one  class  and  so  arranged  that  the  illuminating 
effect  of  any  one  lamp  could  be  best  demonstrated  when  the 
current  is  turned  on.  This  method  also  permits  of  easy  com- 
parison as  to  the  relative  effects  of  different  lamps.  All  appli- 
ances which  are  used  in  the  office  or  store  should  be  together. 
All  appliances  for  household  use  should  be  assembled  by  them- 
selves. Appliances  for  the  workshop  and  factory  properly 
belong  to  another  class  and  should  be  located  where  they  may 
be  shown  to  advantage  and  not  weaken  the  attractiveness  of 
some  other  devices  which  often  sell  on  their  appearance.  As  far 
as  possible,  specimens  of  each  type  of  appliance  should  be  con- 
nected up,  so  that  the  current  may  be  readily  turned  on,  and 
their  operation  demonstrated.  Wherever  space  is  available, 
such  appliances  as  are  not  complete  in  themselves  should  be 
connected  to  apparatus  and  contrivances  which  are  adapted  to 
the  use  of  electric  energy  for  their  operation.  This  applies  to 
sewing  machines,  dish  washers,  coffee  grinders,  lathes  and  many 
of  the  other  small  devices  which  may  be  successfully  operated 
by  the  use  of  direct  connected  or  belt  driven  motors. 


THE  DISPLAY  ROOM  57 

The  usual  display  room  of  the  dealer  is  located  in  his  business 
establishment.  It  goes  without  saying  that  the  exhibits  should 
be  in  the  front  part  of  the  room,  and  the  staple  goods  in  the  rear. 
This  means  that  all  customers  entering  the  store  for  any  purpose 
must  necessarily  pass  by  and  see  the  articles  displayed.  Stock 
and  supplies  maintained  in  the  rear  of  the  display  room  should 
be  kept  on  clean  shelves  and  tables,  as  neat  and  tidy  as  the  room 
itself.  One  part  cannot  be  untidy  and  careless-looking  without 
affecting  the  appearance  of  the  whole.  Jewelers'  show  cases 
display  the  better  goods  to  great  advantage,  and  the  cases  are 
more  useful  still,  if  suitably  illuminated. 

Supplementary  Features 

Every  lighting  customer  buys  lamps  and  consequently  lamps 
should  be  featured.  Lamps  of  only  the  proper  voltage  for  local 
circuits  should  be  stocked  — but  lamps  of  every  useful  size  and 
variety  in  the  required  voltage  should  be  kept  on  hand  and  ex- 
hibited. Too  much  care  cannot  be  given  to  all  the  details  in 
connection  with  planning  and  arranging  a  proper  show  room. 
The  money  spent  in  suitably  decorating  and  adequately  wiring, 
and  the  current  used  in  demonstrating  are  of  little  moment  in 
comparison  with  the  assured  results  accruing  from  a  properly 
equipped  exhibit.  Tasteful  literature  is  a  factor  which  should 
not  be  overlooked.  Visitors  who  have  seen  and  become  inter- 
ested in  appliances  exhibited  in  a  display  room  are  willing  to 
take  home  with  them  something  which  will  refresh  their  memory, 
and  enable  them  to  talk  the  matter  over  with  others  who  may 
be  interested. 

Neither  the  contractor-dealer  nor  the  central  station  company 
should  look  upon  a  modern  display  room  as  only  an  opportunity 
to  spend  money  for  ornamental  purposes.  If  properly  conducted, 
it  will  not  only  pay  its  own  way,  but  in  addition  will  yield  a 
handsome  profit.  Many  contractor-dealers  who  formerly  ne- 
glected their  opportunities  for  merchandising,  now  find  it  is  the 
most  remunerative  department  of  their  business.  Careful 
accounting  methods  are  necessary  for  both  contractor-dealers 
and  central  station  companies,  so  that  they  may  realize  just 
what  profit  the  display  or  salesroom  is  producing. 

All  apphances  on  exhibition  should  be  ticketed  and  priced  in 
plain  figures.  This  saves  time  and,  during  busy  hours  or  when 
help  is  scarce,  the  appliances  will  often  sell  themselves.     If  an 


58  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

article  is  not  priced,  and  no  salesman  near,  a  consumer  will 
frequently  lose  interest.  There  can  be  no  harm  done  in  putting 
the  price  on  an  article  in  plain  figures — and  on  the  other  hand  a 
sale  may  be  lost  because  the  price  is  not  clearly  stated.  Em- 
ployes exhibiting  or  selling  apphances  should  know  the  consump- 
tion of  each  device,  the  rate  per  kilowatt-hour  for  service  supplied 
by  the  local  central  station  company  and  also  the  cost  per  hour 
for  operating  any  appliance  shown.  If  such  information  is  not 
available,  the  customer  will  often  hesitate  or  postpone  a  purchase 
until  the  cost  of  operation  is  known  and  fully  understood. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  good  show  windows  should  accompany 
electric  display  rooms.  The  best  possible  equipment  is  none  too 
good  for  the  show  windows.  This  applies  to  the  painting,  color 
scheme,  decoration,  sign  lettering  and  illumination.  The  more 
class  to  the  window,  the  more  attention  it  will  draw  and  the 
more  goods  will  be  sold.  Above  all,  taste  and  care  should  be 
used  in  displaying  the  appliances  in  the  window.  Better  change 
the  window  often  and  display  only  one  type  of  appliance  at  a 
time,  than  endeavor  to  exhibit  a  number  of  different  kinds  of 
appliances  at  once  and  over-crowd  the  window.  There  is  great 
scope  for  originality  and  taste  in  arranging  the  window  exhibit — 
and  a  good  exhibit  is  well  worth  while. 

Value  of  Special  Demonstrations 

While  the  display  room  should  probably  be  as  spacious  in  a 
small  city  as  it  would  be  in  a  larger  one,  at  the  same  time  the 
expense  in  maintaining  the  room  and  conducting  demonstrations 
may  be  proportionately  greater  in  the  larger  community.  From 
the  standpoint  of  the  electric  company,  the  display  room  may 
well  be  used  as  a  means  of  educating  the  public  in  the  use  of  the 
appliances  exhibited.  For  this  reason  a  company  would  be 
justified  in  having  an  expert  in  charge  who  could  not  only  attend 
to  the  every  day  duties  in  connection  with  the  care  of  the  display 
room,  but  also  could  give  demonstrations  on  pre-arranged  days. 
It  goes  without  saying  that  the  display  room  should  be  conducted 
under  the  general  direction  of  the  chief  of  the  company's  con- 
tracting department,  and  the  dates  for  the  different  demonstra- 
tions should  be  so  arranged  that  parties  who  would  be  particu- 
larly interested  in  any  demonstration  could  be  duly  notified  by 
the  salesman.  It  might  be  a  good  plan  to  have  a  special  demon- 
stration one  day  each  month.     The  demonstration  should  be 


THE  DISPLAY  ROOM  59 

preceded  by  a  talk  on  the  general  character  and  utility  of  the 
appliances  to  be  shown,  and  the  salesman  should  be  available  to 
assist  in  the  work  of  exhibiting  and  explaining  the  uses  of  the 
different  devices.  The  special  days  should  be  divided  in  some- 
what the  same  manner  as  suggested  for  the  segregation  of  the 
exhibits  in  the  display  room.  For  instance,  one  day  in  each 
month  might  be  given  to  electric  cooking,  and  such  a  demonstra- 
tion should  have  the  assistance  of  a  first-class  cook  so  that  the 
articles  of  food  prepared  and  distributed  may  demonstrate  how 
well  they  are  cooked  and  how  good  they  taste  when  electricity 
is  used.  During  summer  months  special  attention  should  be 
directed  to  those  appliances  which  are  particularly  useful  in  hot 
weather,  such  as  fans,  cooking  devices,  small  refrigerating  plants, 
laundry  machines,  dish  washers,  vacuum  cleaners,  and  the  many 
appliances  of  the  character  which  lighten  work  for  the  housewife. 
In  the  winter  months,  more  attention  might  be  given  to  electric 
heating  appliances  such  as  radiators,  foot-warmers,  heating  pads, 
hot  water  bottles  and  the  like.  Now  and  then  special  demon- 
strations might  be  given  for  those  interested  in  shop  and  factory 
work.  There  is  a  large  field  for  development  in  this  line,  includ- 
ing such  appliances  as  glue  pots,  soldering  irons,  breast  drills, 
heaters,  etc.  However,  the  actual  demonstration  of  such 
apparatus  may  not  be  suitable  or  appropriate  in  the  ordinary 
display  room,  as  usually  such  demonstrations  would  be  more 
effective  on  the  premises  of  the  prospective  purchasers.  In  a 
general  way,  it  has  been  found  that  demonstrations  create  inter- 
est and  spread  knowledge,  where  knowledge  and  interest  did  not 
previously  exist,  and  that,  if  properly  conducted,  all  demonstra- 
tions as  to  the  use  of  electrical  devices  are  quickly  followed  with 
increased  amount  of  inquiries  and  more  frequent  sales. 

Joint  Electrical  and  Food  Exhibits 

While  all  classes  of  people  are  now  beginning  to  be  more 
famihar  with  the  uses  of  electricity  in  daily  life,  the  great  ma- 
jority as  yet  know  little  regarding  its  true  usefulness  as  a  labor 
saver  and  real  servant  of  man.  In  the  minds  of  many  there  is 
still  a  mystery  about  its  generation  and  distribution,  which  is 
largely  inherited  and  sometimes  difficult  to  shake  off.  By  means 
of  electrical  exhibitions  the  public  is  brought  in  closer  touch  with 
the  handling  of  electric  energy  and  the  practical  uses  to  which  it 
may  be  put  in  every  walk  of  life.     It  is  true  that  every  electric 


60  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

appliance  installed  in  a  home  or  shop  becomes  an  exhibit  in  itself, 
but  as  a  rule  this  exhibit  is  confided  to  the  personal  acquaintances 
of  the  one  on  whose  premises  the  installation  has  been  made. 
By  means  of  the  electrical  exhibit  the  attention  of  the  public  is 
drawn  to  the  advantages  of  electric  energy  in  a  general  way  as  well 
as  to  some  of  the  more  unusual  uses.  Each  individual  who  visits 
a  display  or  exhibition,  while  he  may  look  at  the  many  kinds 
shown,  will  have  his  special  hobby  and  will  be  more  interested 
in  those  particular  appliances  which  are  nearest  to  his  every-day 
work  and  method  of  living.  It  is  true  that  one-half  the  world 
does  not  know  how  the  other  half  lives,  and  it  is  also  true  that 
one-half  of  those  using  electricity  do  not  know  in  what  manner 
the  other  half  is  utilizing  the  same  kind  of  energy.  The  prime 
value  of  the  exhibit  lies  in  the  fact  that  it  tends  to  bring  the  two 
halves  together,  allowing  them  to  intermingle  and  absorb  the 
knowledge  gained  from  the  experience  of  others. 

The  exhibition  and  preparation  of  certain  articles  of  food  in  a 
display  room  is  often  of  distinct  advantage.  There  is  cleanliness 
about  the  use  of  electrical  energy  for  cooking  purposes  that  makes 
such  an  exhibit  particularly  attractive  to  the  careful  housewife — 
and  as  everyone  must  eat  to  live,  the  food  exhibit  is  usually  of 
interest  to  all,  and  a  good  adjunct  to  a  display  of  cooking  ap- 
pliances. The  adaptability  of  electric  energy  to  the  manufacture 
of  foods  is  undeniable.  The  preparation  and  serving  of  all 
kinds  of  edibles  can  be  demonstrated  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
brands  of  food,  electrically  prepared,  become  more  interesting 
and  more  attractive  to  the  public — the  value  of  the  food  being 
enhanced  and  the  consumption  increased  because  electricity  is 
used  in  its  preparation. 

The  prime  value  from  the  central  station  standpoint  of  the 
display  room  and  electrical  exhibit  is  in  stimulating  the  consump- 
tion of  the  company's  product,  and  in  adding  business  along  lines 
which  will  be  most  profitable.  There  is  a  great  diversity  in  the 
hours  of  use  of  all  electrical  appliances,  and  this  diversity  makes 
the  added  load  very  attractive  to  the  company  distributing 
electric  energy.  Most  of  such  appliances  are  used  during  the 
daylight  hours,  when  the  average  electric  company  has  the  least 
demand  for  its  energy,  and  consequently  the  added  load  during 
off  peak  hours  is  unusually  attractive.  Again,  most  of  the  lamp 
socket  appliances  installed  on  the  lines  of  an  electric  company 
mean  additional  load  without  additional  investment,  and  the 


THE  DISPLAY  ROOM  61 

income  from  such  added  load  is  at  the  maximum  rate  per  kilo- 
watt-hour, as  service  is  supplied  through  the  lighting  meter. 
This  condition  applies  to  all  appliances  using  600  watts  or  less 
and  includes  irons,  toasters,  percolators,  chafing  dishes,  heating 
pads,  foot  warmers,  radiators,  vacuum  cleaners,  washing  machines 
fans,  vibrators,  and  scores  of  other  devices  which  may  be  put  in 
operation  in  any  room  or  place  where  circuits  are  installed  for 
electric  lighting.  Such  additional  load  does  not  mean  the  addi- 
tion of  more  lines,  transformers,  services  or  meters,  but  on  the 
other  hand  it  produces  a  better  utilization  of  the  present  invest- 
ment— the  ideal  class  of  added  business — the  most  desired  by  any 
central  station  manager.  The  more  a  company's  lines  can  be 
packed  with  the  lamp  socket  load,  the  nearer  such  company  will 
have  attained  ideal  operating  conditions.  There  is  a  goal  all 
good  operators  desire  to  reach,  the  gates  of  which  are  Minimum 
Investment,  High  Load  Factor  and  Maximum  Rates.  The 
lamp  socket  appliance  load  in  sufficient  quantity  will  open  all 
three  of  these  gates. 

The  Edtjcational  Factor 

The  properly  conducted  display  room  will  naturally  aid  in 
removing  from  the  public  mind  any  prejudice  regarding  the  use 
of  electricity,  either  as  to  a  mysterious  uncertainty  lurking  in  the 
background  or  as  to  the  cost  of  service;  and  will  do  much  to 
educate  the  people  regarding  the  far-reaching  advantages  to  be 
obtained  from  the  use  of  the  electric  servant  whenever  and 
wherever  possible.  At  the  present  time  this  applies  particularly 
to  energy  used  in  the  home.  Reliable  help  is  becoming  scarcer 
and  more  expensive  each  month  and  a  greater  number  of  families 
are  compelled  to  do  their  own  housework.  The  uses  of  electricity 
materially  lighten  the  labor  in  the  home,  and  when  this  is  fully 
realized  the  bugaboo  of  housework  will  gradually  be  lessened  or 
entirely  dispelled,  and  then  the  demand  for  electrically  operated 
appliances  will  probably  be  greater  than  the  supply.  Further, 
the  advantages  of  electric  cooking  are  now  beginning  to  be  under- 
stood, and  as  the  understanding  increases,  electricity  will  be 
more  generally  used  in  the  kitchen,  because  of  its  cleanliness, 
convenience  and  utility.  The  question  of  comparative  fuel  cost 
will  eventually  be  of  little  moment.  House  lighting  may  still 
be  done  by  means  of  other  illuminants  at  less  cost  than  by  elec- 
tricity,  but   because   of   its   compensating  advantages   almost 


62  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

everyone  wants  electric  lighting.  The  same  condition  will  one 
day  prevail  regarding  electric  cooking.  There  are  compensating 
advantages  in  saving  of  time  and  labor,  and  in  quantity  and 
quality  of  food  cooked,  that  far  out-weigh  any  minor  considera- 
tion such  as  fuel  cost.  The  time  is  not  far  distant  when  all 
central  station  operators  will  require  to  be  prepared  for  the  load 
which  is  coming  from  this  direction.  The  main  factors  which  will 
hasten  the  day  are  exhibition,  demonstration,  education  and  the 
maintenance  of  high  grade  service  to  all  cooking  installations 
already  made.  In  this  connection  well  conducted  display  rooms 
keep  electrical  matters  constantly  before  the  public,  and  are  of 
real  educational  service  to  consumers  and  at  the  same  time  of 
distinct  advantage  to  all  branches  of  the  industry. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  PROGRESS 

In  these  energetic  times,  the  word  "progressive"  is  dinned  into 
our  ears  to  such  an  extent  that  some  people  are  Hable  to  misunder- 
stand its  meaning  or  become  absolutely  tired  of  it.  However, 
we  of  the  electrical  fraternity  know  that  as  progress  leads  to 
perfection,  the  progressive  spirit  is  something  to  be  cultivated  by 
all  connected  with  the  great  industry  of  which  we  are  a  part.  If 
we  are  to  progress  we  must  be  active.  We  must  neither  mark 
time  nor  stand  still,  for  if  we  are  not  moving  forward,  we  are 
slipping  behind.  Perhaps  the  American  people  comprise  the 
most  progressive  nation  in  the  world,  and  the  most  restless  and 
inventive  American  is  the  Yankee.  No  less  an  authority  than 
Chauncey  M.  Depew  has  stated  his  belief  that  the  great  invent- 
iveness of  this  same  Yankee  is  due  to  his  fondness  for  pie.  Pie 
twice  or  thrice  a  day  will  eventually  produce  indigestion  in  the 
strongest  stomach,  and  with  indigestion  a  man  cannot  sit  still 
and  remain  peacefully  contented.  He  must  have  action,  mental 
and  physical,  and  action  will  invariably  produce  results. 

Land  Transportation 

Let  us  glance  at  the  results  of  the  progressive  spirit  in  busi- 
nesses which  might  be  considered  as  correlated  to  the  one  in  which 
we  are  engaged — that  is  the  electric  industry.  This  refers  par- 
ticularly to  transportation,  the  telegraph  and  the  telephone. 
Transportation  has,  properly  speaking,  three  divisions:  land, 
water  and  air.  Land  transportation  may  be  traced  back  to  the 
period  when  mothers  first  strapped  their  babies  on  their  backs. 
Since  that  time  more  patents  have  been  issued  upon  inventions 
relating  to  transportation  than  upon  any  other  line  of  human 
activity.  They  range  all  the  way  from  a  tiny  device  for  unhitch- 
ing a  runaway  horse  to  the  latest  idea  in  guiding  an  automobile. 
It  is  well  to  pause  and  consider  what  this  wonderful  development 
in  land  transportation  has  meant  for  the  civilized  world;  how 
the  spirit  of  progress  has  linked  country  with  country  and  nation 

63 


64  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

with  nation,  so  that  together  and  with  the  aid  of  each  other  they 
might  move  forward  to  fulfill  their  destinies.  Think  how  these 
many  railways  have  prevented  the  close  congestion  of  population 
in  large  cities  by  opening  up  the  surrounding  territories,  and 
reducing  the  time  from  the  suburbs  to  the  center.  Railroads 
have  made  the  rough  places  smooth;  have  annihilated  distances, 
and  at  times  have  almost  rivaled  the  sun  in  their  speed.  Progress 
is  now  beginning  to  revolutionize  railway  travel.  Instead  of 
continuing  with  the  wasteful  use  of  coal  or  other  fuel,  many 
railroads  are  figuring  on  changing  their  motive  power  from 
steam  to  electric — in  fact,  there  are  some  thousands  of  miles  of 
railroads  in  America  already  converted.  In  addition  to  the 
more  economical  operation  with  electricity,  there  is  another 
advantage — for  electric  power  increases  the  capacity  of  a  single 
track  road  anywhere  from  fifty  to  eighty  per  cent. 

Electricity  on  the  Sea 

Some  of  our  fathers  and  grandfathers  came  from  Europe  in 
vessels  which  were  conspicuously  uncomfortable  for  passenger 
travel,  as  we  now  look  back  on  them,  but  they  were  considered 
wonderful  ships  in  those  not  so  very  far  distant  days.  Should 
you  now  desire  to  go  to  Europe,  you  will  observe  what  a  marvelous 
change  has  been  brought  about  by  this  same  sprit  of  progress. 
You  are  ushered  on  board  a  great  floating  hotel,  a  structure  so 
big  that  only  giant  waves  have  any  material  effect  upon  it, 
and  so  powerful  that  the  energy  it  contains  is  measured  by  tens 
of  thousands  of  horsepower.  When  you  wish  to  move  about  on 
this  castle  there  are  servants  at  your  beck  and  call  for  all  pur- 
poses, and  electricity  is  the  servant  of  the  servants.  Little 
electric  railways  operate  in  the  bowels  of  the  vessel,  and  electric 
elevators  lift  you  from  deck  to  deck  at  your  pleasure.  Your 
state  room  is  warmed  or  cooled  by  electricity  as  well  as  scientifi- 
cally illuminated  with  lights  from  invisible  sources.  Your  meals 
are  cooked  by  means  of  electric  energy  and  carried  from  the 
kitchen  to  the  dining  room  by  the  same  force.  In  fair  weather 
and  foul,  you  may  work  or  play,  eat  and  sleep,  be  amply  enter- 
tained or  peacefully  rested  on  board  of  one  of  these  great  modern 
steamships,  and  all  the  time  you  are  being  swiftly  and  comfort- 
ably carried  to  your  destination.  It  has  been  the  tireless  spirit 
of  progress,  working  on  time  and  possibly  overtime  that  has 
wrought  this  marvelous  change. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  PROGRESS  65 

Invading  the  Air 

But  progress  is  still  moving  forward  and  we  are  now  launched 
upon  a  new  era  of  transportation  which  bids  fair  eventually  to 
revolutionize  other  means  of  travel.  Air  travel  had  been  well 
started  before  the  great  war  began — but  the  experiences  and 
necessities  of  the  four  years'  struggle  advanced  air  transportation 
twenty  years  ahead  of  what  it  would  have  been  under  peaceful 
development.  Mail  and  passenger  services  in  a  limited  sense 
are  already  in  regular  operation  in  many  countries.  A  printed 
notice  is  posted  in  the  office  of  one  of  the  largest  hotels  in  Chicago 
which  reads,  ''The  aerial  mail  for  New  York  leaves  here  daily  at 
8 :45  a.  m."  Such  a  notice  is  now  read  in  a  matter  of  fact  manner 
by  the  hotel  guests.  More  extensive  trips,  even  transcontinental 
routes  are  now  being  planned  for  aerial  travel — and  before  long 
trans-oceanic  service  for  mail  and  passengers  will  be  in  effect 
over  many  seas.  This  new  method  of  transportation  will  pro- 
duce many  changes  in  our  methods  of  living.  Possibly  those  of 
us  who  are  "going  up"  will  soon  begin  to  discard  surplus  apparel, 
and  even  turn  our  pocket  money  into  greenbacks,  in  order  to  cut 
down  the  weight.  Those  of  us  who  stay  down  will  probably 
require  to  carry  as  much  accident  insurance  as  those  who  fly,  for 
we  will  never  know  what  may  strike  us  when  we  leave  our  homes. 
Only  as  far  back  as  yesterday,  all  we  had  to  look  out  for,  when 
we  ventured  abroad,  was  the  automobile,  the  bill  collector,  the 
trolley,  the  truck,  the  hansom  cab,  the  taxi,  the  bicyclist,  the 
switch  engine,  the  gentleman  who  carried  his  umbrella  under  his 
arm  with  the  ferrule  pointing  to  a  quarter  past  three,  and  the 
lady  who  walked  one  direction  and  looked  another.  That  was 
all.  But  today,  we  not  only  have  to  look  out  for  all  those  possi- 
bilities with  our  eyesight,  but  we  have  to  keep  part  of  it  aimed 
at  the  sky  above,  for  southbound  aeronauts,  whose  little  aero- 
planes have  failed  to  aero  properly. 

Without  the  inventions  of  two  great  men,  rapidity  and  safety 
in  railway  traveling  would  have  been  impossible.  These  men 
were  George  Westinghouse,  the  inventor  of  the  air-brake,  and 
Professor  Morse,  the  inventor  of  the  practical  method  of  tele- 
graphy. Sometimes  a  big  man  fails  to  recognize  the  spirit  of 
progress  when  it  hunts  him  up.  When  Westinghouse  was 
ready  to  exhibit  a  model  of  his  air-brake,  he  sent  a  letter  con- 
cerning it  to  Commodore  Vanderbilt,  the  then  leading  railroad 
man  in  the  country.     Vanderbilt  smiled  at  the  idea  of  stopping 


66  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

a  train  with  wind,  and  wrote  at  the  foot  of  Westinghouse's  letter, 
"I  have  no  time  to  waste  on  damn  fools," — C.  Vanderbilt. 
Later  Westinghouse  made  a  similar  request  to  President  Cassett 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad.  Cassett  listened  and  gave  West- 
inghouse a  chance  to  demonstrate,  with  the  result  that  the  rail- 
road world  was  startled.  Vanderbilt  heard  of  the  experiments 
and  wrote  to  Westinghouse  to  call  and  explain  the  device.  It 
is  said  Westinghouse  returned  the  letter  and  across  the  bottom 
was  written,  "I  have  no  time  to  waste  on  damn  fools." — G. 
Westinghouse. 

Development  of  Telegraphy 

A  story  is  told  of  one  of  the  early  experiments  in  telegraphy. 
For  this  experiment  twenty-six  wires  were  required  from  one 
point  to  another  and  at  each  end  of  each  wire  was  attached  a 
pig — each  pig  representing  a  letter  of  the  alphabet.  The  current 
sent  over  a  wire  caused  one  of  the  pigs  to  squeal,  and  the  receiver 
of  the  message  knew  that  squeal  called  for  a  certain  letter.  It 
would  seem  as  if  the  progressive  spirit  has  done  some  good  work 
since  that  first  experiment.  By  and  by  a  code  system  was  worked 
out  and  a  message  could  then  be  sent  one  way  at  a  time  on  a 
metallic  circuit.  Then  someone  stumbled  onto  the  fact  that 
if  the  ends  of  the  wires  were  stuck  in  the  ground,  one  wire  would 
do  as  well  as  two — in  other  words,  the  grounded  circuit  was  put 
into  effect.  Then  new  inventions  were  added  to  new  inventions, 
and  instead  of  one  message  one  way  on  one  line  at  one  time,  we 
have  a  multiplicity  of  messages  each  way  on  the  same  wire. 
That  was  progress  in  itself — enough  for  an  ordinary  century — but 
not  enough  for  us.  Marconi  and  others  said,  "Why  all  this 
waste  of  wires?"  "Why  all  those  forests  of  poles?"  And  lo, 
wireless  telegraphy  was  born.  Every  man  has  his  own  opinion 
as  to  the  marvels  of  the  period  he  lives  in — but  no  matter  what 
else  the  spirit  of  progress  has  developed  during  recent  years, 
there  can  be  no  greater  wonderment  than  the  wireless  message. 
To  the  uninitiated,  it  may  seem  reasonable  that  a  sound  or  a 
flash  can  be  transmitted  over  a  wire — but  to  send  and  receive 
recognizable  messages  through  ulimited,  boundless  space  makes 
a  staggering  impression  upon  the  ordinary  man  with  average 
intellect. 

Away  back  at  the  time  when  the  telegraph  and  cable  were  the 
most  wonderful  things  in  the  world,  a  young  man  was  desperately 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  PROGRESS  67 

busy  in  a  noisy  machine  shop  in  Boston.  He  was  wholly  ab- 
sorbed in  what  appeared  to  be  an  absurd  looking  toy.  For  three 
years  he  was  toiling  over  it,  and  then  on  a  hot  June  day  in  1875 
an  almost  inaudible  sound — a  faint  twang — came  from  the  ma- 
chine itself.  That  twang  of  a  spring  was  the  first  tiny  cry  of  the 
new-born  telephone,  as  feeble  and  helpless  as  any  other  baby  and 
"with  no  language  but  a  cry."  That  young  man  was  Alexander 
Graham  Bell,  and  that  baby  of  his,  has  grown  until  it  is  one  of  the 
greatest  necessities  of  modern  life.  When  it  was  patented,  there 
was  no  name  for  it  in  the  world's  languages,  and  its  description 
called  for  "  an  improvement  in  telegraphy."  It  is  a  pretty  young 
child  who  would  not  know  today  that  it  is  nothing  of  the  kind. 
It  is  as  different  from  the  telegraph  as  the  eloquence  of  the  orator 
is  from  the  language  of  the  deaf-mute. 

The  progressive  spirit  is  working.  The  wirless  telegram  has 
become  an  important  servant  in  peace  and  in  war.  The  wireless 
telephone  is  coming,  and  doubtless  will  be  here  upon  a  commercial 
basis  in  the  not  distant  future.  We  may  yet  see  the  day  when 
every  man  will  be  his  own  "central"  and  with  a  pocket  telephone 
he  may  be  able  to  talk  to  whom  he  pleases  at  his  own  sweet  will 
The  line  then  will  never  be  busy,  and  the  war  tax  on  such  mes- 
sages will  be  hard  to  collect. 

In  front  of  the  beautiful  Union  Railwaj'^  station  in  Washington, 
D.  C,  there  is  this  inscription: 

"Electricity,  carrier  of  Light  and  Power 

Devourer  of  Time  and  Space; 
Bearer  of  human  speech  over  land  and  sea, 

Greatest  servant  of  man — itself  unknown." 

We  are  told  that  there  is  invested  in  the  electrical  business  in 
the  United  States  nearly  four  billions  of  dollars,  and  that  this 
large  investment  has  been  piled  up  during  the  past  thirty-five 
years.  Thirty-five  years  ago,  electric  lighting  was  a  marvel; 
today  it  is  in  nearly  every  home  where  the  service  is  available. 
Almost  every  day  sees  some  new  application  of  electricity,  which 
adds  to  our  personal  comfort,  or  to  the  easier  or  more  economic 
transaction  of  business. 

More  Light 

The  progressive  spirit  is  perhaps  more  marked  in  lighting 
matters  than  in  many  of  the  every-day  necessities  we  think  are 
ours  by  right.  Our  original  human  ancestor,  as  far  as  history 
informs  us,  was  the  cave  man.     As  his  name  indicates,  this  pro- 


68  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

genitor  of  ours  lived  in  a  cave — mostly  because  he  did  not  know 
what  else  to  do  about  a  home.  His  activity  was  much  along  the 
same  lines  as  other  animals.  He  arose  with  the  sun  and  retired 
at  sunset,  and  had  no  artificial  light  at  his  command.  He  lived 
on  roots,  berries  and  raw  flesh.  He  did  not  have  to  hunt  for  a 
cook,  because  he  had  no  fire  and  no  food  that  needed  preparation. 
After  all,  his  life  was  not  without  some  compensations.  Then  one 
day  he  accidentally  struck  a  piece  of  flint  and  a  spark  arrived. 
From  that  spark  our  business  started.  The  cave  man  was  soon 
staying  out  at  night,  and  his  wife  awaited  his  return  with  a  pine 
torch  to  illuminate  his  cave  and  some  meat  stewing  in  a  kettle 
over  a  fire.  Then,  by  and  by,  grease  commenced  hanging  around 
that  kettle,  which  would  drip  into  the  fire,  and  somehow  the 
successors  to  the  cave  man  got  this  grease  hitched  into  a  rope 
and  the  tallow  dip  was  born,  with  an  illuminating  capacity  of  one 
candle  power.  It  took  centuries  to  progress,  and  eventually  we 
got  the  oil  lamp — then  artificial  gas,  and  by  that  time  it  was 
thought  all  that  was  good  in  lighting  had  been  discovered.  The 
world  sat  back  contented  with  its  illumination  until  about  thirty- 
five  years  ago — and  then  a  crude  method  of  electric  lighting  was 
made  commercially  possible.  Altogether  there  have  been  issued 
by  the  authorities  in  Washington  more  than  58,000  patents  on 
electrical  subjects,  a  large  percentage  of  which  are  in  reference  to 
lighting  matters.  The  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor  is 
the  authority  for  the  statement  that  the  United  States  uses  more 
electrical  energy  than  any  three  countries  in  the  world,  and  is  the 
most  brilliantly  lighted  nation  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Between 
the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific  and  the  Gulf  and  the  Great  Lakes, 
there  are  in  use  over  one  hundred  million  incandescent  lamps. 
If  these  millions  of  lamps  could  be  concentrated  in  one  spot,  their 
resplendence  would  probably  equal  one  of  the  lesser  orbs  of  the 
solar  system. 

It  is  not  an  unusual  thing  to  hear  some  electrical  engineer  say, 
especially  among  the  ranks  of  the  younger  men,  "So  much  has 
been  done  in  electrical  inventions  there  remains  so  little  to 
accomplish,"  or  words  with  a  similar  meaning.  A  few  years  ago 
Thomas  A.  Edison,  the  man  who  has  himself  taken  out  over  700 
patents  on  electrical  subjects,  used  these  words:  "We  have  just 
started  on  our  electrical  way,  and  the  chances  of  big,  new 
electrical  inventions  are  much  greater  than  before  the  telegraph, 
the  telephone,  the  electric  light  and  the  electric  motor  were 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  PROGRESS  69 

invented."  There  is  plenty  of  food  for  thought  in  these  words, 
and  plenty  of  encouragement  for  all  present  and  future  electrical 
engineers  in  America.  It  wouldn't  seem  unreasonable  for  a 
live  engineer  to  be  worried  because  the  progressive  spirit  seems 
to  be  crawling  along  so  slowly.  Look  for  instance  at  the  one 
subject  of  efficiency  in  the  generation  of  electricity.  The  defini- 
tion of  efficiency  is  "the  ratio  of  useful  work  for  energy  ex- 
pended." Think  of  it!  In  the  most  modern  electric  lamp,  there 
is  an  average  of  about  five  per  cent  of  the  latent  power  in  the 
oil  burned,  or  the  water  force  used  in  the  distant  power  house. 
Ninety-five  per  cent  is  wasted,  dissipated  and  lost  between  the 
oil  tank  or  intake,  and  the  tungsten  or  gas  filled  lamp.  Were 
every  bit  of  the  energy  stored  in  the  oil  or  the  head  of  water 
made  available  when  a  switch  were  turned,  the  light  would  spring 
into  fifty  lamps  instead  of  into  one  as  is  the  case  today.  It  is 
true  we  look  upon  the  tungsten  and  other  modern  lamps  as  far 
ahead  of  the  carbon  filament  types.  So  they  are,  but  consider 
how  little  of  the  energy  as  represented  in  the  oil  or  falling  water 
is  given  back  in  these  newer  lamps.  One  inventor  speaks  of  the 
incandescent  and  arc  lamps  as  "simply  refinements  of  the  torch 
of  the  primeval  savage,  or  the  common  candle,  and  primitive 
and  inefficient  in  their  present  form."  If  such  is  the  case,  there 
is  plenty  of  opportunity  for  the  progressive  spirit.  When  we 
get  all  that  should  be  gotten  of  the  latent  power,  we  will  then 
have  wondrous  improvements  and  use  for  light.  "Give  us  more 
light"  is  the  cry  in  all  parts  of  the  land.  "Give  us  the  cheerful- 
ness and  protection  which  light  brings."  All  country  roads  must 
eventually  be  lined  with  electric  lamps,  and  as  for  the  cities, 
they  will  yet  be  as  bright  at  night  as  the  highways  on  a  June 
evening  in  the  land  of  the  midnight  sun.  Greater  efficiency  in 
production  is  all  we  need,  and  this  must  come  through  the  efforts 
of  the  engineer.  However,  the  generation  and  distribution  of 
electric  energy  is  not  the  only  instance  of  low  efficiency.  There 
are  many  problems  just  as  important  along  other  lines — awaiting 
new  inventions  and  better  methods — awaiting  the  touch  of  the 
spirit  of  progress. 

Limitless  Opportunity 

All  electrical  men,  it  appears,  are  not  engineers,  and  there  is 

much  work  laid  out  for  others  in  the  industry  along  distinctly 

progressive  lines.     Those  who  sell  the  product  of  the  generating 

plants  have  still  a  task  which  needs  careful  study  and  constant 


70  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

effort.  For  a  long  time,  engineers  have  drummed  into  the  com- 
mercial men  the  necessity  of  protecting  the  peak.  Metaphori- 
cally speaking,  both  engineers  and  salesmen  were  wont  to  stand 
with  their  heads  back  and  faces  upward,  gazing  at  the  marvelous 
height  of  some  imaginary  peak,  and  wonder  when  it  will  stop 
climbing  in  that  spire-like  style.  But  times  are  changing — the 
peak  bug-a-boo  is  coming  into  its  inheritance,  and  the  progressive 
spirit  has  already  given  it  some  early  payments — in  the  back  of 
the  neck.  Two  things  are  contributing  to  the  peak's  diminishing 
importance — the  one  is  the  storage  of  water,  making  power  avail- 
able at  such  hours  as  it  may  be  most  needed,  and  the  other  is 
diversity  of  load.  The  larger  the  average  central  station  be- 
comes, the  more  territory  supplied  with  service — the  greater 
should  be  the  diversity  in  the  connected  load.  And  with  the 
diversified  demand,  the  load  factor  should  improve,  and  instead 
of  the  engineers  worrying  about  peak,  that  is,  the  number  of  kilo- 
watts of  daily  or  yearly  maximum  demand,  the  worry  becomes 
changed  into  anxiety  concerning  the  generation  and  delivery  of 
the  number  of  kilowatt  hours  needed  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
consumers.  With  the  greater  diversity  of  added  load,  spread  over 
longer  hours  of  use,  business  with  poor  load  factor,  which  was 
once  considered  unprofitable,  may  be  taken  on  with  advantage, 
and  business  with  high  load  factor,  while  always  desirable,  is  not 
as  important  as  it  once  was  to  the  large  central  station  plant.  But 
the  load  factor  of  the  central  station  plant  itself  may  yet  be  so 
scientifically  increased  that  the  peak  will  almost  entirely  disap- 
pear. It  is  not  unreasonable  to  expect  that  a  90  per  cent  load 
factor  may  one  day  be  a  reality.  But  there  is  much  work  to  do 
before  the  load  curve  near  the  appearance  of  a  straight  line — 
before  the  electrical  consumption  of  a  territory  supplied  has 
reached  a  point  approaching  saturation.  There  are  many  present 
uses  for  electricity  which  are  not  nearly  developed.  There  are 
many  uses  coming  of  which  we  may  only  dream  today.  The 
factories  and  workshops  are  eagerly  calling  for  the  money  saving 
power.  How  about  all  the  business  to  be  obtained  on  the  farms? 
The  stores  and  office  buildings  are  asking  what  else  we  can  give 
them.  How  about  the  homes?  Some  will  say  "Why,  look  at 
what  we  have  done  in  that  direction!"  Well,  what  do  we  see? 
Electric  lighting  everywhere — but  not  enough  and  not  used  for 
long  enough  hours.  Maybe  one  or  two  appliances  in  the  average 
home,  just  to  show  how  useful  they  can  be.     But  look  at  all  the 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  PROGRESS  71 

drudgery  in  the  home  which  may  yet  be  relieved.  Look  at  the 
tired  women  and  weary  men  who  are  wearing  themselves  out 
because  they  do  not  know  where  to  turn  for  asistance.  And  all 
the  time  we  have  the  sevant  to  do  their  work,  but  they  don't  know 
it.  It  is  someone's  mission  to  teach  them — to  point  the  way  to 
rest,  ease  and  comfort  and  incidentally  to  raise  the  consumption 
of  the  central  station  over  all  hours  of  the  day,  and  bury  the  peak 
forever. 

From  the  Cradle  to  the  Grave 

There  is  no  denying  the  fact,  however,  that  this  spirit  of 
progress  is  running  parallel  with  the  strenuous  life.  There  was 
a  time  when  a  man  entered  his  own  home,  he  might-  expect  a 
certain  amount  of  peace  and  quiet.  Maybe  that  time  has  gone 
and  never  to  return.  The  era  of  electric  appliances  is  with  us, 
and  from  the  moment  we  enter  our  houses,  even  until  the  instant 
we  leave  them,  we  are  butting  into  some  current  consuming 
device.  It  takes  a  pilot  to  keep  clear  of  cords  and  wires  attached 
to  irons,  toasters,  curling  tongs,  foot-warmers,  vibrators,  hair- 
dryers and  automatic  pianos,  and  if  the  cords  are  passed  in  safety, 
one's  fingers  are  liable  to  be  burned  by  handling  some  innocent 
looking  article  which  in  reality  is  as  hot  as  blazes.  Times  are 
changing.  A  little  while  ago,  electricity  was  a  toy  that  doctors 
and  children  played  with.  Now  we  cannot  get  along  without  it. 
From  the  cradle  to  the  grave  it  stays  close  to  us.  If  there  were 
only  some  way  to  blow  it  out,  it  would  give  complete  satisfaction 
in  every  direction.  The  modern  infant  has  his  milk  warmed  by 
it.  Growing  up  he  may  wear  an  electric  belt  for  what  ails  him, 
and  have  his  diseases  and  pants  pressed  with  an  electric  iron. 
His  food  may  be  cooked  electrically,  and  he  may  be  run  over  by 
an  electric  car,  carried  in  an  electric  hearse  to  the  cemetery  and 
there  electrically  incinerated.  We  cannot  tell  to  what  uses 
electricity  may  be  put  in  the  next  world,  but  there  is  an  idea 
prevalent  that  a  properly  constructed  halo  must  be  made  of  a 
short  circuit. 

The  progressive  spirit  is  evidenced  not  only  in  manufacturing 
and  selling  the  product,  but  also  in  seeing  that  the  consumer  gets 
all  that  he  should  in  the  way  of  attention  and  education,  which 
will  make  the  service  most  beneficial,  satisfactory  and  agreeable. 
The  man'^who  can  install  an  electric  motor  in  place  of  a  steam 
engine  has  made  progress,  but  not  more  than  the  man  who  can 
show  a  customer  where  he  can  make  two  horsepower  of  energy  do 


72  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

the  work  of  three.  The  man  who  can  induce  a  customer  to  burn 
two  lamps  where  he  had  only  one  before,  has  made  progress,  but 
not  more  than  the  man  who  by  scientific  distribution  of  light  can 
show  a  customer  how  he  can  make  five  lamps  do  the  work  of 
ten  and  have  better  illumination.  The  man  who  can  make  a 
customer  understand  the  importance  and  usefulness  of  his  com- 
pany in  a  community,  has  shown  the  progressive  spirit,  but  not  to 
a  greater  extent  than  the  man  who  has  made  a  customer  believe 
in  his  company's  integrity  and  its  sincere  desire  to  serve  the 
people. 

After  all,  the  spirit  of  progress  is  entirely  a  personal  matter. 
We  speak  of  a  progressive  city,  when  we  really  mean  the  citizens 
who  live  within  its  borders.  We  speak  of  a  progressive  company, 
when  we  really  mean  the  men  who  guide  its  course  and  control 
its  management.  We  speak  of  a  progressive  individual,  and 
we  mean  just  what  we  say.  What  we  need  is  the  ability  to 
recognize  progress  when  it  comes,  then  to  get  behind  it  and  help 
it  along.  There  are  times  when  some  people  don't  or  won't 
recognize  the  working  of  the  spirit  of  progress,  because  its  coming 
may  look  like  inconvenience  or  injury  to  their  business.  In  the 
constant  evolution  from  one  stage  to  another,  there  must  be 
re-adjustments  which  will  disarrange  the  old  order  of  things. 
We  had  better  make  up  our  minds  to  accept  the  changes,  even 
if  they  temporarily  hurt  us — for  we  cannot  stop  progress.  Every 
man  connected  with  the  electrical  industry  holds  a  mandate 
which  should  compel  him  to  welcome  every  forward  movement, 
so  that  all  may  recognize  that  the  spirit  of  progress  is  the  twin 
sister  of  electricity — the  Goddess  of  the  Wires. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  DISTRICT  MANAGER 

It  is  quite  impossible  for  a  large  public  utility  company, 
supplying  an  electric,  gas  or  telephone  service,  and  covering  a 
great  area  of  territory,  to  handle  all  its  business  through  one 
office.  "Remote  Control"  may  be  of  advantage  in  the  distribu- 
tion of  some  high  voltage  currents,  but  it  is  a  poor  way  to  serve 
customers  who  may  reside  at  some  distance  from  the  central  or 
general  offices.  Consequently,  for  the  better  protection  of  busi- 
ness and  as  a  means  of  supplying  a  higher  grade  of  service,  the 
territory  occupied  is  usually  divided  into  districts,  each  one  of 
which  being  in  charge  of  a  district  manager.  This  is  an  import- 
ant position,  for  not  only  is  the  operation  of  the  company's 
business  in  his  hands,  but  also  its  standing  in  the  community 
and  its  local  reputation  for  integrity  and  progressiveness.  The 
district  manager  acts  for  the  company  in  its  intercourse  with  the 
public  by  virtue  of  his  appointment,  and  he  acts  for  the  public  in 
its  intercourse  with  the  company  by  virtue  of  his  position.  He 
must  fairly  represent  both  sides,  as  they  are  really  a  unit,  the 
dual  relations  being  so  intermingled  that  a  parting  of  the  ways 
does  not  exist.  That  is,  the  permanent  interests  of  the  utility 
company  and  of  the  consumer  are  really  along  parallel  lines. 

The  Organizer 

While  working  under  the  direction  of  the  general  offices,  the 
district  manager  must  have  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  work 
in  all  the  departments  of  his  organization,  and  of  the  duties  and 
capabilities-  of  each  of  his  men.  He  must  be  not  only  a  manager, 
but  an  accountant,  engineer,  salesman,  foreman  and  cashier,  and 
with  it  all,  a  master  of  diplomacy.  The  processes  of  modern 
business  are  sometimes  likened  to  a  complicated  machine,  and 
the  executive  must  program  every  part  of  his  organization  as 
carefully  and  thoroughly  as  the  inventor  designs  the  details  of  a 
great  engine.  The  management  of  a  public  utility  company  is 
organized  thought,  exactly  as  the  machine  is  the  organized  thought 
of  the  inventor. 

73 


74  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

The  district  manager  should  be  a  speciaHst  along  lines  which 
make  for  efficiency  in  administration.  There  is  just  as  much 
opportunity  for  real  invention  in  the  field  of  organization  and 
administration  as  in  the  field  of  mechanics.  The  mechanical 
inventor  studies  out  a  machine  in  which  all  the  parts  are  to 
work  together  to  produce  a  given  result.  In  doing  this  he  deals 
with  inanimate  material;  his  work  is  wrought  out  along  fixed 
mechanical  lines;  he  knows  in  advance  how  each  gear,  spring, 
pulley  and  lever  will  fulfill  its  mission.  Its  power  to  do  is  a 
mechanical  certainty.  The  mechanical  inventor  does  not  give 
to  any  part  of  his  machine  any  latitude  whatever,  and  all  the 
initiative  must  come  from  him. 

The  true  executive,  be  he  general  manager  or  district  manager 
must  also  be  an  inventor;  he,  too,  studies  out  a  working  machine 
where  all  the  parts  are  to  move  in  harmony  to  produce  a  given 
result.  However,  he  deals  not  with  inanimate  material,  but 
with  men  with  wonderful  possibilities  of  initiative  to  help  or 
hinder  the  working  of  the  organization.  To  men  working  as 
parts  of  one  harmonious  whole,  must  be  given  a  certain  amount 
of  latitude,  in  which  to  exercise  whatever  power  of  initiative 
they  may  possess.  They  must  be  given  intelligent  direction 
and  then  left,  in  a  measure,  to  work  out  their  problem  in  their 
own  way.  Of  course,  they  are  always  under  observation,  and 
their  work  follows  certain  established  lines — but  no  code  of  rules 
or  regulations  ever  drafted  can  take  the  place  of  intelligence. 
The  district  manager  should  have  a  knowledge  of  men,  exactly  as 
the  mechanical  engineer  has  a  knowledge  of  materials  and  me- 
chanics. The  right  men  must  be  trained  and  fitted  into  their  pro- 
per places  in  the  machine  in  order  to  obtain  the  right  results. 

The  Real  Head 

The  public  utility  company  which  is  operating  in  a  large  terri- 
tory, with  an  eye  to  present  requirements  and  future  success, 
must  build  up  the  standard  of  the  district  manager.  Men  of 
high  grade  should  be  selected  for  the  position,  and  the  position 
should  be  made  as  important  as  possible,  compatible  with  a 
company's  general  organization  and  methods  of  operation.  The 
district  manager  should  not  be  a  puppet  or  a  marionette  to  act 
and  move  when  some  one  in  the  general  offices  pulls  a  string.  He 
should  be  the  real  head  of  his  company  in  the  territory  under  his 
control,  and  should  be  a  conspicuous  figure  in  that  community. 


THE  DISTRICT  MANAGER  75 

His  company  should  be  localized  and  the  general  offices  of  the 
corporation  should  only  be  referred  to  incidentally,  in  all  inter- 
course with  the  public,  and  not  as  a  center  from  which  all  instruc- 
tions must  come  and  all  authority  emanate.  The  district  mana- 
ger should  be  made  responsible  for  the  development  of  his  local 
organization — and  with  this  responsibility  he  should  be  expected 
to  obtain  satisfactory  results. 

The  district  manager  may  not  have  had  an  engineer's  training, 
but  at  any  rate  he  should  gradually  become  an  engineer  by 
absorption,  and  should  be  absolutely  familiar  with  the  commodity 
handled  by  the  company,  and  the  various  methods  of  distribution 
which  it  has  adopted.  He  must  know  all  details  in  order  to  talk 
intelligently,  either  in  public  or  in  private,  and  understandingly 
to  direct  the  work  of  the  men  under  him.  His  position  is  no 
sinecure — but  a  real  active  job,  requiring  the  use  of  all  faculties 
and  the  benefit  of  all  his  experience. 

Custodian  and  Guardian 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  important  positions  the  district 
manager  has  to  fill  is  that  of  custodian  and  guardian — custodian 
of  the  company's  property  and  guardian  of  its  interests.  The 
property  of  the  company  in  his  district  is  under  the  general  super- 
vision and  care  of  the  manager,  and  as  far  as  possible,  he  should 
know  all  that  is  going  on,  or  being  done  in  the  way  of  changes, 
additions  or  betterments  to  the  system.  The  care  of  the  property 
also  means  its  proper  maintenance,  and  maintenance  includes  its 
appearance  to  the  eyes  of  those  inside  and  outside  the  organiza- 
tion. Cleanliness,  neatness  and  tidiness  are  just  as  essential  as 
quality  and  stability,  as  far  as  the  public  is  concerned,  and  these 
attributes  should  never  be  overlooked.  He  should  also  know 
the  weak  places,  if  there  are  any,  and  be  on  the  alert  and  able  to 
act  promptly  should  any  trouble  occur  either  from  accident  or 
destruction  caused  by  the  elements. 

Not  only  are  the  plants  and  buildings  under  his  care,  but  he 
must  be  familiar  with  the  franchises,  licenses  and  permits  under 
which  the  company  operates,  to  see  that  nothing  may  be  con- 
sidered by  local  legislative  bodies  which  might  threaten  or  im- 
peril their  value.  With  this  end  in  view,  it  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  all  matters  affecting  or  liable  to  affect  the 
company's  interests  directly  or  indirectly  should  be  immediately 
brought  to  the  attention  of  the  proper  department  in  the  general 


76  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

ojffices.  The  manager  should  not  take  it  for  granted  that  any- 
thing of  local  importance  will  be  known  without  his  saying  some- 
thing, but  he  should  promptly  send  in  his  report  to  the  proper 
officer.  If  the  information  has  already  reached  the  officer  from 
another  source,  it  won't  hurt  to  have  it  again.  Far  better  that 
the  report  go  in  from  two  sources  than  none  at  all.  On  the  other 
hand,  after  making  his  report,  the  district  manager  has  relieved 
himself  of  a  certain  amount  of  responsibility  and  can  then  await 
instructions  how  to  proceed  further. 

Administrator  of  Funds 

The  district  manager  is  at  all  times  expected  to  defend  and 
advance  the  interests  of  his  company.  When  it  comes  to  the 
question  of  spending  the  company's  money  for  any  purpose,  he 
will  find  it  a  good  rule  before  making  a  recommendation  to  ask 
himself,  "If  this  money  were  mine,  if  this  business  were  mine, 
would  I  make  this  investment?"  If  he  makes  an  unqualified 
recommendation  for  an  extension,  be  it  big  or  little,  it  should 
only  be  after  giving  an  affirmative  answer  to  this  question. 
There  may  at  times  be  reasons  why  it  might  be  necessary  for  him 
to  pass  an  application  for  an  extension  up  to  a  higher  officer 
without  a  recommendation,  and  the  extension  may  be  authorized 
for  special  reasons,  perhaps  affecting  the  company's  interests 
elsewhere.  However,  it  is  up  to  the  district  manager  to  thor- 
oughly understand  local  conditions,  and  the  company  must 
rely  largely  on  his  knowledge  and  recommendations,  before  au- 
thorizing any  increases  of  investment  in  his  district. 

Business  Builder 

Perhaps  in  no  other  line  of  industry  have  there  been  as  many 
changes  in  connection  with  business  development  as  in  the  cen- 
tral station  industry.  Only  a  few  years  ago,  the  business  was 
entirely  confined  to  that  of  supplying  light.  For  five  or  six 
hours  daily  the  plant  was  busy,  and  for  eighteen  hours  it  practi- 
cally stood  idle.  Interest  and  depreciation,  however,  were 
going  on  all  the  time,  and  the  cost  per  kilowatt-hour  generated 
and  distributed  was  necessarily  high.  Gradually  a  power  load 
was  developed,  and  the  plant  was  busy  for  another  twelve  hours, 
and  fixed  charges  per  unit  were  enormously  reduced.  Then 
certain  kinds  of  business  were  induced  to  operate  all  through  the 
night,  and  the  central  station  plant  eventually  began  to   pull 


THE  DISTRICT  MANAGER  77 

some  kind  of  a  load  for  twenty-four  hours  each  day.  But  the 
alert  district  manager  knows  that  there  is  no  limit  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  electrical  business.  He  will  regularly  gather  around 
him  his  salesmen  and  assistants,  and  show  them  what  can  be 
done  to  increase  the  company's  income  from  present  investment, 
and  to  point  the  way  to  profitable  extensions  which  will  produce 
greater  earnings  for  the  company  in  the  future. 

Some  men  say  the  lighting  business  has  already  been  developed. 
The  alert  manager  can  show  his  men  that  there  is  not  a  home, 
office  building,  business  house,  industrial  plant  or  factory  in  his 
territory  that  would  not  be  better  off  if  more  lights  were  added 
in  this  place  or  that.  More  and  better  street  lighting  is  de- 
manded, as  a  precaution  against  accidents  and  a  protection  to 
life  and  property.  This  field  is  capable  of  great  development. 
Electric  power  is  now  used  in  every  direction — but  not  to  the 
extent  it  should  be.  The  alert  manager  can  show  just  where 
more  can  be  added  to  present  installations,  and  where  it  can  be 
introduced  to  displace  other  prime  movers  whose  operation  may 
be  improved  upon.  And  when  it  comes  to  the  newer  uses  for 
heating  and  cooking,  the  alert  manager  can  say  to  his  men, 
"Gentlemen,  you  may  start  all  over  again  on  every  street  in 
every  town,  for  every  present  consumer  and  every  new  customer 
must  eventually  own  and  operate  an  electric  range."  Scores 
of  proven  appliances  for  new  uses  are  appearing  for  sale  every 
year,  and  when  these  appliances  may  be  counted  by  the  hundreds 
of  thousands  on  a  company  s  system,  there  soon  comes  a  demand 
for  reinforcement  of  distribution  lines  in  residence  districts  and 
a  more  constant  load  on  stations  and  substations  every  day  in  the 
year.  The  alert  manager  knows  he  is  now  at  a  stage  when 
load  building  has  become  more  scientific;  where  load  factor 
improvement  is  substantial,  and  where  present  investment  has 
no  idle  hours — and  that  eventually  the  only  limit  to  scientific 
development  may  be  a  load  curve  which  will  resemble  a  straight 
line. 

Collector  of  Revenues 

Not  the  least  of  a  district  manager's  duties  is  that  of  collecting 
the  revenues  derived  from  the  service  supplied.  It  is  well  worth 
remembering  at  times,  that  all  the  work  of  harnessing  the  mighty 
mountain  streams,  all  the  work  of  building  great  power  houses, 
all  the  money  invested  in  long  transmission  tower  lines  and  local 
distribution  systems,  all  the  feats  of  engineers,  all  the  grinding 


78  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

machinery,  all  the  executive  ability  of  the  officers  and  all  the 
routine  of  the  clerks — every  detail  handled  from  the  president 
down  to  the  elevator  boy,  lead  up  to  the  meter — and  the  product 
of  the  meter  is  dollars  and  cents. 

The  business  of  a  central  station  company  cannot  be  run  suc- 
cessfully without  giving  liberal  credit  to  thousands  of  people. 
Corporations  such  as  street  railways,  transportation  companies, 
telephone  companies  and  department  stores,  receive  their 
money  before  the  goods  are  delivered,  but  the  electric  company 
is  required  to  deliver  its  service  before  it  becomes  due  and  payable. 
Consequently,  it  is  of  paramount  importance  that  after  waiting 
a  month  or  more  for  its  money,  the  electric  company  should 
collect  its  revenues  as  soon  as  possible  after  they  become  due. 
There  are  thirty-seven  reasons  why  electric  bills  should  be  col- 
lected promptly.  The  first  is,  the  company  always  needs  the 
money.  The  second  is  that  it  is  easier  to  collect  soon  than  late. 
The  alert  district  manager  has  no  care  about  the  other  thirty-five 
reasons — the  first  two  being  sufficiently  convincing.  The 
amount  of  latitude  and  discretion  given  a  district  manager  in 
handling  certain  individual  accounts  should  be  liberal.  This 
refers  to  consumers  whose  business  is  seasonal,  and  whose  money 
receipts  may  be  irregular  for  one  reason  or  another.  But  the 
general  results  are  reflected  in  percentages  of  collections  to 
moneys  due,  and  the  alert  manager  will  see  that  the  percentage 
of  his  delinquents  is  held  down  to  a  minimum.  There  is  always 
the  last  resort  for  an  electric  company  to  adopt  when  forcing 
payments,  that  is,  discontinuance  of  service.  This  is  usually 
effective,  but  should  not  be  used  until  all  other  means  of  persua- 
sion have  failed.  No  man  or  woman  ever  feels  the  same  toward 
a  company  if  the  service  is  once  disconnected  for  non-payment, 
and  it  is  sometimes  better  to  nurse  a  delinquent  along  for  a 
while,  if  there  is  a  reasonable  hope  of  settlement,  rather  than 
abruptly  to  sever  the  connections  and  leave  a  consumer  sore 
and  resentful  for  years  afterwards. 

Harmonizer 

The  district  manager  requires  to  be  a  man  of  many  parts,  and 
there  is  no  part  more  important  than  that  which  might  well  be 
termed  "the  harmonizer."  The  best  definition  of  harmony  is  to 
say  that  it  is  the  antithesis  of  discord — and  if  discord  exists 
within  the  ranks  of  an  organization,  or  with  consumers  on  the 


THE  DISTRICT  MANAGER  79 

outside,  there  is  friction — and  friction  means  loss  of  power.  The 
harmonizer  in  a  district  is  able  to  make  the  company's  affairs 
run  smoothly,  and  as  harmonizer,  the  district  manager  will  find 
it  advisable  at  times  to  use  a  considerable  amount  of  oil  in  order 
to  reduce  friction  to  a  minimum.  While  the  district  manager 
must  never  lose  sight  of  the  duty  he  owes  to  the  company,  he 
must  frequently  put  himself  in  the  other  fellow's  place,  so  that  he 
may  properly  understand  some  conditions  and  adjust  them 
satisfactorily.  The  employes  working  under  him  will  sometimes 
become  fractious  because  of  real  or  fancied  grievances.  If 
harmony  does  not  exist  in  this  direction,  some  part  of  the  com- 
pany's business  will  surely  suffer.  In  handling  employes,  the 
district  manager  needs  to  use  great  tact  to  smooth  out  the  wrin- 
kles, to  encourage  where  encouragement  is  needed,  to  reprove 
where  reproof  is  necessary,  and  to  commend  where  commendation 
is  deserved. 

Friendly  Relations 

The  company  must  look  to  the  district  manager  to  maintain 
friendly  relations  with  its  customers.  He  is  the  main  point  of 
contact,  and  by  precept  and  example,  it  is  up  to  him  to  indicate 
how  the  public  should  be  cared  for.  The  clerks,  collectors,  sales- 
men, meter  readers  and  trouble  men  are  liable  to  do  in  this  respect 
what  they  see  their  superior  do,  and  what  they  know  he  wishes 
to  be  done.  And  the  public  will  keep  on  judging  the  company 
by  the  words  and  acts  of  the  employes  it  sees  rather  than  by  the 
published  policies  of  officers  and  directors  who  are  seldom  seen 
and  rarely  known.  The  district  manager  cannot  be  too  careful 
and  particular  in  the  selection  of  employes  coming  in  direct 
contact  with  consumers  and  the  public.  An  ill-natured,  indiffer- 
ent clerk  can  make  more  trouble  for  the  company  in  one  day 
than  two  tactful  men  could  patch  up  in  a  month.  The  very 
existence  of  the  company  depends  upon  the  good  will  of  its 
customers.  The  business  cannot  be  developed  if  present  con- 
sumers are  not  satisfied,  and  they  are  easily  and  willingly  pleased 
and  satisfied  if  they  receive  that  courteous  and  prompt  attention 
to  which  they  are  at  all  times  entitled.  The  alert  manager  will 
find  that  a  bright,  cheerful  office,  devoid  of  partitions,  gratings 
and  windows  between  the  employes  and  the  public,  will  have  a 
beneficial  effect  and  help  both  clerks  and  customers  to  under- 
stand each  other  better.     The  manager  cannot  give  too  much 


80  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

attention  to  what  goes  on  in  the  front  of  his  office — an  observing 
traveler  tells  of  the  following  incident: 

"I  stood  in  a  large  railway  station,  awaiting  my  turn  at  the 
ticket  window.  Before  me  in  line  was  a  man  neatly  clad,  clean 
and  unmistakably  a  foreigner.  He  quietly  passed  a  five-dollar 
bill  beneath  the  rod  and  waited.  The  ticket  agent  caught  up  the 
bill  with  a  vigor  that  threatened  to  tear  it  in  two.  'What  do  you 
want?'  he  grumbled.  'I  want  to  go  to  Boston,'  said  the  man 
with  imperfect  Enghsh,  but  with  perfect  courtesy.  *To  Boston! 
bellowed  the  agent,  'I  guess  you  don't  know  what  you  want.'  'I 
want  to  go  to  Boston,'  repeated  the  man.  'You're  either  drunk 
or  crazy,'  snapped  the  other.  'This  won't  buy  a  ticket  to  Bos- 
ton,' and  he  thrust  the  offending  bill  back  through  the  window 
with  a  grunt  that  dragged  itself  into  a  crude  smile  as  he  turned 
to  me.  The  stranger-in-our-land  took  up  his  money  and  walked 
away,  his  face  pathetic  in  its  pained  bewilderment. 

"As  I  folded  my  ticket,  I  caught  the  comment  of  a  keen-eyed 
business  man  who  stood  near.  'Well,  I  always  thought  I  knew 
why  they  have  gratings  on  ticket  office  windows,  but  that  inci- 
dent gives  me  a  new  idea — it's  to  keep  some  agents  from  hitting 
the  patrons  of  the  road.  I  tell  you,  if  I  were  a  railroad  president, 
I'd  disguise  myself  like  our  friend  bound  for  Boston,  and  two  or 
three  times  a  year  I'd  call  upon  every  one  of  my  employes. 
Whenever  I'd  receive  a  shade  less  consideration  in  my  disguise 
than  I  received  as  'the  boss' — the  man  guilty  of  discriminating 
would  be  discharged." 

The  district  manager  may  well  look  into  the  question  as  to 
how  many  of  his  employes  are  rendering  the  same  kind  of  service 
to  consumers  as  they  would  to  him  as  the  boss.  How  many 
would  stand  the  business  man's  test?  Of  a  different  type  is  a 
story  that  comes  from  another  source,  concerning  a  recent  inci- 
dent in  the  office  of  a  power  company.  A  customer,  who  was 
also  of  foreign  birth,  called  one  day  on  the  manager  to  ask  for 
some  information  regarding  his  account  and  contract  for  service, 
to  be  used  in  connection  with  a  lawsuit  the  customer  had  with  a 
third  party.  The  information  asked  was  duly  sent  and  later 
the  customer  called  upon  the  manager.  He  said,  "Mr.  Blank,  I 
want  to  thank  you  for  the  data  supplied,  and  your  courtesy 
extended  to  me  in  connection  with  the  matter."  The  manager 
stated  that  he  was  glad  to  furnish  the  information  asked,  and 
told  the  customer  that  as  for  the  courtesy,  he  was  entitled  to 


THE  DISTRICT  MANAGER  81 

receive  that  at  any  and  all  times.  The  customer  smiled  and 
said,  "Mr.  Blank,  before  I  die  I  am  going  to  visit  Ireland,  so  that 
I  may  learn  to  say  some  things  as  nicely  as  you  do." 

The  Arbitrator 

Experience  has  demonstrated  that  in  the  public  utility  business, 
the  time  comes  around  when  trouble  of  some  sort  is  threatened 
in  each  district.  It  may  be  a  municipal  ownership  agitation; 
the  application  for  a  franchise  by  an  opposition  company,  or  a 
demand  for  a  concession  in  rates,  or  something  else.  Then  it  is 
that  the  company  needs  a  friend  and  then  it  is  that  the  public 
remembers  all  the  good  and  all  the  bad  that  the  company  is 
responsible  for  in  the  past.  The  district  manager  may  have 
people  pulling  for  him  or  working  against  him,  depending  upon 
the  way  these  same  people  have  been  previously  treated  in  their 
intercourse  with  the  company  through  its  employes.  One  thing 
is  sure  and  that  is,  if  all  the  people  were  pleased  with  the  com- 
pany, then  they  would  all  be  on  the  company's  side  in  any  con- 
troversy. Knowing  this  to  be  a  fact,  the  wise  district  manager 
will  see  that  all  his  points  of  contact  are  so  protected  that  no 
matter  how  a  customer  may  feel  when  he  enters  an  office,  he  will 
go  away  pleased.  Such  a  condition  may  be  of  greater  value  than 
all  the  franchises,  permits  and  licenses  that  could  be  granted  or 
awarded.  At  any  rate,  such  franchises,  permits  and  licenses  must 
automatically  become  more  valuable,  when  the  permanent  good 
will  of  the  public  has  become  a  part  of  the  company's  assets. 


CHAPTER  XI 

POTENTIAL  PUBLICITY 

In  the  conduct  of  a  central  station  business,  the  subject  of 
advertising  is  one  that  should  receive  as  much  thoughtful  con- 
sideration as  any  other  part  of  the  organization's  work.  Good 
advertising  is  as  useful  to  an  electric  company  as  it  is  to  a  depart- 
ment store  and  may  readily  be  developed  into  one  of  the  main- 
stays of  the  business.  However,  the  methods  and  mediums  used 
by  the  department  store  may  not  be  the  most  effective  if  applied 
to  the  electric  company's  business,  and  it  becomes  a  problem  or 
rather  a  study  as  to  what  direction  a  central  station  should  follow, 
when  spending  its  yearly  advertising  appropriation. 

Classifying  the  Public 

If  we  take  it  for  granted  that  the  Management  acknowledges 
the  importance  of  advertising,  the  question  arises,  "What  are  the 
best  methods  of  publicity?"  Probably  more  than  anyone  else, 
the  man  who  advertises  must  put  himself  in  the  place  of  those 
whom  he  wishes  to  reach.  With  this  idea  before  him  he  will 
understand  how  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  public,  where  to 
place  his  advertisements,  and  when  the  psychological  moment 
arrives  to  produce  the  best  results.  Now,  advertising  of  any 
description  must  attain  its  object  by  a  well-defined  process.  In 
the  first  place  it  must  awaken  attention;  next,  promote  inquiry; 
then  arouse  desire,  and,  finally,  create  a  demand.  Again  it  may 
be  asked,  "What  is  the  best  method  of  doing  all  this,  and  increas- 
ing the  sale  of  electricity?"  For  the  reason  that  the  public  can- 
not all  be  reached  through  the  same  channels,  it  follows  that  in 
various  ways,  all  honest  advertising  is  good.  Some  people 
never  look  at  the  advertisements  in  the  daily  paper,  but  will 
eagerly  scan  each  advertising  page  in  a  magazine.  Others  never 
observe  an  advertisement  in  a  periodical,  yet  their  eyes  catch 
the  announcement  on  a  bill  board  or  the  card  in  a  street  car. 
Again,  there  are  others  too  absent-minded  to  note  anything  on 

82 


POTENTIAL  PUBLICITY 


83 


bill  boards  or  in  a  street  car,  but,  put  a  circular  or  letter  in  their 
hands,  and  it  will  be  read  from  beginning  to  end.  Consequently, 
if  it  is  the  desire  to  reach  all  classes,  every  reasonable  method  of 
attracting  attention  should  be  used.  It  may  not  be  desirable  to 
go  after  all  classes  of  people  at  once,  but  the  medium  of  advertis- 
ing most  adapted  to  reach  each  class  should  be  used  at  a  time 
calculated  to  produce  the  best  results. 

The  Supremacy  of  the  Newspaper 

Effective  electrical  advertising  should  saturate  the  community 
and  forcefully  emphasize  some  definite  objective.  Failing  in 
this  it  is  incomplete  and  its  compelling  element  is  endangered 


EDISON  ELECTRIC  HOLIDAY  GIFTS 

Gladden  and  Lighten  the 


Whole  Year  'Round 


W  YOUR  OUEST  FOR  GIFTS  FOR  aOUSTIIAS  AMD  NEW  TEARS  THESE  AR£  NONE  SO  NOVEL 

UNIQUE  AS  ELECTRJCAL  CIFTS. 
■mEY  ARE  BEAUTIFUL  AND  PRACCfOU.  AND  ARE  ALWAYS  APPREOATED.     BEINC    IN    DAO-Y   USE 

THEY  ARE  CONTINUAL 


Selection  d  Holiday  Preseots  Itod  tbe  hr^t  One  ol  Qectrica]  AppUtoces  k  easy  and  lolemtla^— Dfflerent  IroB  ncktBj  y^cr  brats  cboosia^ 

froa  Ue  ttdiigs  yoa  b&ve  ahnys  tboojpit  oL 
=  IT  IS  WISE  TO  ORDER  NOW  TO  SECURE  PRE-HOUDAY  DELIVERY  = 

Additional  Suggestions  for  EiectricaJ  Chnstm&s  Gifta.    Appliances  that  have  Proved  Ptffect: 

B*k*  Oma                                               Cifw  Li^bltn  Foot  Wunm  ShaTtn«  Ms9  To  Kittk* 

T^l*  Sco                         CaunI  Utifity  MaUn  Milk  BoUk  Wwnos  SMnliacn                                                      JMe  Kaat™ 

^^                                               Din  Stove*  H»ii  Dttsi  S»tJtf  P»n»                                                   Te^poti 

(tsBfcs  [aunawoB  RaAktora  Water  HiMto*                                         Vbcuub  OcaaMt 


Southern  California  Edison  Company 


>  BEACON  STREETS 


The  newspaper  is  the  medium  of  advertising  through  which  the  largest  number 
of  persons  may  be  reached.  It  is  essential,  however,  that  a  newspaper  advertise- 
ment should  dominate  the  page  on  which  it  appears. 

and  sometimes  lost.  Advertising,  like  literature,  poetry,  music, 
drama,  art,  oratory,  and  preaching,  is  not  an  exact  science,  and 
no  theory  of  metaphysics  can  determine  with  anything  approach- 
ing exactness  the  mental  impression  it  implants.  Newspaper 
advertising,  however,  in  its  far-reaching  scope,  so  far  preponder- 
ates all  other  mediums  of  communicating  with  the  public,  that 
it  takes  first  place.  In  segregation,  other  methods  can  be  treated 
as  intensive,  stimulative  and  auxiliary.  The  number  of  people 
who  receive  and  read  a  newspaper  is  the  first  consideration  which 


84  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

an  advertiser  gives  a  publication  when  contemplating  its  use  in 
presenting  his  proposition  to  the  public.  Generally  speaking, 
this  is  a  correct  hj^pothesis,  but  it  is  subject  to  many  modifica- 
tions. Duplicate  circulation,  while  it  may  not  be  an  entire  loss, 
is  not  scientific  or  economical  advertising.  Quite  a  large  per- 
centage of  people  read  both  evening  papers  and  morning  papers, 
but  the  ratio  is  not  sufficiently  high  to  jusify  an  advertiser  who 
wishes  to  reach  every  home  in  his  community  in  discriminating 
between  them.  The  Sunday  papers  in  the  larger  cities  running 
from  100  pages  up  have  enormous  circulations,  but  it  may  be 
accepted  as  fundamental  that  as  the  size  of  the  paper  increases, 
the  proportion  of  its  advertising  matter  which  is  read,  decreases. 
Selecting  the  best  position  on  the  page  of  a  newspaper  on  which 
an  advertisement  is  to  appear  and  choosing  the  page  where  is 
will  be  most  apt  to  be  read  by  the  readers  the  advertiser  desires 
to  interest  is  a  subject  for  thoughtful  study.  The  type  of  copy — 
the  nature  of  appeal,  should  be  made  to  conform  to  the  position 
of  the  advertising.  It  is  obvious  that  advertising  positioned  on 
a  women's  page,  should  have  different  treatment  from  that  on  a 
baseball  page. 

Central  Stations  and  Cooperative  Publicity 

The  electrical  industry  is  just  beginning  to  enter  the  advertising 
field,  with  the  prospect  of  quickly  becoming  one  of  the  greatest, 
if  not  the  greatest,  patrons  of  printing  ink  in  the  world.  That 
it  has  not  done  so  sooner  is  due  to  many  reasons,  among  them 
being  that  the  demand  for  electrical  installations  was  so  great 
and  so  spontaneous  that  advertising  was  not  deemed  necessary. 
The  problem  of  the  central  station  companies  was  to  finance  the 
construction  of  generating  plants,  transmission  and  distribution 
lines,  in  order  to  keep  up  with  the  multiplying  demand  of  the 
public.  But  as  the  business  developed  and  the  size  and  number 
of  generating  stations  increased,  the  question  of  scientific  load- 
building  had  to  be  considered,  so  that  the  product  of  these  plants 
should  be  constantly  used,  and  here  is  where  advertising  stepped 
in,  and  worked  to  advantage.  Today,  an  era  of  cooperation 
has  been  reached  by  means  of  which  the  various  branches  of  the 
industry — the  central  station,  the  manufacturer,  the  jobber  and 
the  dealer — are  working  together  for  the  benefit  of  all  interested, 
including  the  general  public.  The  time  is  at  hand  when  electri- 
city may  be  sold  through  advertising  as  freely  as  any  form  of 


Tho  liarnossing  of  the  country's  waterfalls  vitall\-  foueerns  the  pulilic  and  they 
should  he  kept  in  toufh  with  new  enterprises. 

(Facing  page  84) 


POTENTIAL  PUBLICITY  85 

merchandise,  and  united  efforts  in  that  direction  are  already- 
producing  wonderful  results  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 

In  the  West,  the  central  stations  were  the  pioneers  in  electrical 
advertising.  They  took  up  the  work  of  the  advertising  and 
selling  of  electrical  appliances  before  there  were  any  electrical 
dealers  in  the  territory  who  were  interested  in  their  sale  and  use. 
They  did  it,  not  because  they  desired  to  enter  the  appliance 
business,  but  because  it  was  necessary  that  they  take  the  initia- 
tive in  order  to  blaze  the  way  for  future  business  and  the  develop- 
ment of  the  central  station's  load. 

It  is  due  to  the  initiative  of  the  central  station  companies  that 
the  use  of  electrical  appliances  became  popular,  and  in  nearly 
every  town  of  importance  in  California  dealers  with  well  equipped 
establishments  are  now  conducting  thriving  businesses.  Through 
cooperation,  the  manufacturers,  jobbers  and  contractor-dealers 
have  now  become  substantial  advertisers,  and  the  character 
of  central  station  advertising  is  undergoing  a  change.  Instead 
of  promoting  the  use  of  any  special  device  or  apphance,  the 
central  station  company's  advertising  is  now  turning  toward  more 
general  educational  lines,  emphasizing  the  many  advantages 
of  electricity  and  the  benefits  derived  from  electric  service 
supplied  through  modern  methods  of  distribution. 

Advantages  of  the  Large  Space 

It  is  obviously  the  duty  of  central  stations  to  patronize  the 
local  papers  in  their  respective  communities,  not  only  because 
they  are  good  mediums  for  advertising,  but  also  because  they 
must  be  regarded  as  institutions  of  their  respective  cities  and 
towns,  and  classed  with  chambers  of  commerce,  boards  of  trade 
and  promotion  associations.  Large  space  advertising  is  neces- 
sary nowadays  to  bring  big  results.  Once  a  double  column 
four-inch  advertisement  was  believed  to  have  drawing  power, 
but  a  very  careful  keying  of  these  small  announcements  proved 
conclusively  that  they  could  not  be  depended  upon  to  produce 
any  results  in  a  sales  campaign.  Department  stores  and  all  of 
the  larger  advertisers  have  found  by  experience  that  an  advertise- 
ment, to  have  selhng  quality,  must  dominate  or  occupy  the  page 
upon  which  it  is  printed.  Some  years  ago  a  large  central  station 
company,  doing  business  with  a  group  of  newspapers  in  the 
territory  which  it  served,  was  obliged  to  take  the  initiative  in 
introducing  the  lamp  socket  electrical  appliances  to  its  con- 


86  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

sumers,  because  the  few  dealers  in  the  field  were  not  in  a  financial 
position  to  carry  on  a  comprehensive  promotion  campaign  and 
the  manufacturers  were  advertising  almost  exclusively  in  national 
publications.  This  company  had  previously  followed  the  con- 
ventional plan  of  using  a  small  advertisement  in  daily  and  weekly 
papers  in  its  territory,  but  continued  changes  of  copy  and  care- 
fully watching  for  sales  showed  with  practical  conclusiveness 
that  this  method  of  advertising  had  no  selling  value  worth 
mentioning. 

AcctJMtJLATivE  Advertising 

This  company  offered  a  manufacturer  a  very  large  order  if  he 
would  construct  a  certain  electrical  appliance,  which  it  was 
believed  would  eventually  become  a  necessity  in  every  home,  if 
offered  at  a  popular  price.  As  it  was  necessary  to  sell  the  utensil 
at  cost,  the  company  could  not  afford  to  boost  it  with  a  large 
additional  advertising  appropriation,  and  the  problem  of  ac- 
complishing the  desired  result  without  increasing  expenditures 
was  referred  to  the  advertising  manager.  After  studying  the 
situation,  he  proposed  a  plan  which  at  the  time  was  original,  but 
has  since  been  adopted  by  a  number  of  central  stations  and  utility 
corporations,  and  is  known  as  "The  accumulative  advertising 
system."  It  consisted  of  an  arrangement  to  take  the  total 
money  value  of  the  advertising  which  the  company  had  paid  to 
newspapers  during  the  previous  year;  figure  this  amount  into  the 
number  of  column  inches  of  advertising  which  it  would  purchase 
at  the  column  inch  rate  during  a  calendar  year,  and  divide  the 
annual  payment  into  twelve  monthly  instalments.  The  plan 
has  now  been  working  successfully  for  eight  years,  the  advantage 
being  of  turning  the  small  space  advertising  of  negligible  value, 
into  a  valuable  asset  by  making  it  possible  for  the  company  to 
run  page  and  half -page  advertisements  whenever  it  desires.  The 
very  first  appearance  of  this  large  advertisement  showed  its 
drawing  power,  and  within  three  months  the  sales  of  the  appliance 
which  the  company  was  promoting  had  exceeded  expectations 
by  many  thousands,  and  has  now  become  a  thoroughly  standard- 
ized utensil  and  one  of  the  principal  articles  now  sold  by  electrical 
dealers.  The  accumulative  system  as  it  is  operated  by  this 
company  is  believed  to  be  the  simplest  form  of  carryingad  vertis- 
ing  accounts  with  a  large  number  of  papers.  On  the  first  of  each 
year,  the  amount  of  the  annual  appropriation  for  each  of  the  140 


POTENTIAL  PUBLICITY  87 

newspapers  on  the  company's  system  is  worked  out  into  column 
inches,  as  for  example:  a  newspaper  appropriation  of  $20  per 
month,  or  $240  a  year,  with  an  advertising  rate  of  20c  per  column 
inch,  is  entered  on  a  loose  leaf  bills  payable  ledger  sheet.  At 
the  top  of  one  column  is  placed  the  1,200  column  inches  of  space 
which  the  annual  appropriation  purchases.  The  monthly  pay- 
ments of  $20  are  placed  in  another  column  as  they  are  paid.  The 
company  has  a  drawing  account  against  the  paper  for  1,200 
column  inches  of  advertising  space  per  year,  and  it  can  be  con- 
sumed in  anything  from  page  advertisements  down  to  one-inch 
notices  as  the  requirements  of  the  business  may  demand.  As 
this  space  is  consumed,  the  advertising  agent  turns  in  the  clipping 
of  the  advertisements  to  the  auditing  department,  with  the  num- 
ber of  column  inches,  accompanied  by  a  blank  which  shows 
whether  it  is  chargeable  to  stock  sales,  new  business  or  other 
purposes,  and  these  column  inches  are  recorded  in  their  proper 
places  on  the  cards.  At  any  time  the  advertising  manager  can 
see  by  looking  at  the  ledger  sheet  of  any  paper  just  how  many 
column  inches  stand  to  the  credit  of  the  company  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  year,  and  can  so  arrange  that  his  last  advertising, 
which  is  usually  the  Christmas  advertising,  exactly  consumes 
whatever  space  remains  in  the  paper  at  the  last  of  the  year. 
Instead  of  reducing  the  advertising  appropriations  for  the  papers, 
this  system  has  shown  that  large  advertising  space  is  distinctly 
advantageous  and  has  resulted  in  general  increases.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  plan  which  presents  additional  appropriations  for 
papers  in  which  advertising  has  proven  profitable.  The  column 
inches  made  on  the  first  of  the  year  can  be  increased,  when  the 
selling  power  of  the  paper  shows  that  its  space  is  valuable  to  the 
company.  It  is  possible  for  the  advertising  manager  to  tell 
which  papers  are  bringing  results  from  their  advertising,  and  to 
increase  the  company's  patronage  accordingly.  It  also  gives 
an  initiative  to  publishers  to  assist  the  electrical  industry  by  news 
items,  which  tend  to  make  the  advertising  more  profitable,  and 
in  turn  to  increase  its  use  by  the  central  station  company. 

There  is  a  class  of  advertising  which  is  not  designed  to  have  a 
direct  selling  quality,  and  which  is  intended  to  educate  the  public 
into  greater  use  of  electricity  and  give  information  concerning 
the  advantages  of  high  grade  electric  service.  Such  advertising 
to  be  effective,  should  make  definite  statements  and  not  deal  in 
platitudes.     For  educating  the  public  to  appreciate  better  light- 


88 


WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 


ing  service,  there  are  many  arguments,  among  them  the  greater 
efficiency  of  new  types  of  lamps  and  their  placements  so  as  to 
produce  the  greatest  amount  of  illumination  for  the  smallest 
expenditure  of  current.  In  advertising  power  service,  such  defi- 
nite arguments  as  the  advantages  of  the  individual  drive  as 
against  line  shafting  friction,  is  illustrative.  It  is  well  to  an- 
nounce that  the  company's  illuminating  engineers  and  power 
experts  are  always  available  to  take  up  with  consumers  the  details 
of  their  individual  problems.  In  advertising  the  advantages  of 
electrical  appliances,  the  free  services  of  demonstrators  may  be 
announced. 


n.F.r  n.'icAi,  afjdliances 

'         ,J  .  )  -,  I  tic  BIGHT] 

imipktrtiL        WAY    \ 


^  &U1LT  nxTSAFETY 


ELECTUICAL  APPLIANCES 
ABE  BUILT  roc  SArETY 


ire     buill    fof 


r  font 


Hei 


i  been 


mike  EJectncd  AppliiiKci  pnio/  ofaimt 
We  neyWt  lo  iTianr  nide  thiap.  be« 


li^tadUin  and 
e  ol  E1c(    ' 


lI  ArpliiDce 


A  great  deal  of  the  advertising  done  by  electrical  concerns  at  the  present  time  is 
directed  not  so  much  towards  immediate  sales  as  towards  the  general  education 
of  the  people  in  the  use  of  electricity. 


Simply  to  advertise  good  service,  or  to  claim  that  your  service 
is  the  best  service,  is  manifestly  stupid  if  you  do  not  give  some 
tangible  reason  for  the  assertion.  The  unsupported  proclama- 
tion savors  of  the  man  who  professes  himself  a  fine  fellow,  but 
does  not  back  it  up  with  any  demonstration  or  performance. 
There  is  an  antique  which  runs  something  like  this:  "If  our 
service  is  satisfactory,  tell  others;  if  not,  tell  us."  There  is  no 
logical  reason  why  a  consumer  who  is  forced  to  borrow  a  candle 
because  his  lights  grow  dim,  should  make  a  profound  secret  of 
the  reason  for  the  borrowing.  It  would  be  well  for  him  to  hand 
in  his  complaint  to  the  trouble  department  of  the  corporation 
which  exists  to  furnish  him  good  lighting  service,  and  if  the  service 
is  usually  excellent,  it  might   be  of  advantage  to  the  company  if 


POTENTIAL  PUBLICITY  89 

the  complainant  tells  his  neighbor  that  this  particular  trouble  is 
the  first  he  has  had  for  many  a  day. 

Being  Frank  with  the  Public 

The  necessity  for  what  was  termed  "political  advertising"  has 
practically  passed  away  in  states  where  electric  rates  are  regu- 
lated by  Public  Utility  Commisions.  Occasionally,  however, 
there  are  communities  where  rate  matters  and  other  questions 
affecting  utility  corporations  become  subjects  for  public  discus- 
sion. In  such  cases,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  utility  company  to  tell 
the  people  frankly  through  the  medium  of  its  newspapers,  all  the 
facts  which  enter  into  this  contention  and  to  do  so  by  the  free 
use  of  advertising  space.  Emergencies  of  this  kind  are  in  the 
nature  of  campaigns,  and  should  be  vigorously  and  fearlessly 
conducted  by  the  utilities.  To  rush  into  print  with  a  kind  of 
advertising  which  was  formerly  termed  "public  utility  advertis- 
ing" when  no  controversy  exists  is  apt  to  "sow  the  wind  and 
reap  the  whirlwind."  A  public  utility  advertising  expert  who 
has  made  a  study  of  practically  every  series  of  the  class  of  ad- 
vertisements referred  to,  that  have  been  offered  utility  comp- 
anies during  the  past  decade,  had  divided  such  advertising  into 
two  classes — the  "boastful  ad"  and  the  "whining  ad."  The 
first  kind  when  put  under  analysis  simply  tells  you  how  wonder- 
fully good  the  company  is  and  is  prone  to  provoke  discussion  by 
those  who  do  not  relish  the  laudation  of  corporations.  That 
prolific  writer,  Pro  Bono  Publico,  has  a  liking  for  basing  letters  to 
the  editor  upon  these  boastful  announcements,  and  the  company 
that  prints  them  sometimes  finds  that  it  has  started  something 
where  nothing  exists.  The  whining  or  hard  luck  ad,  which  tells 
us  what  a  miserable  time  the  company  is  having  to  eke  out  an 
existence,  is  not  cheerful  reading  matter  or  encouraging  to  stock- 
holders, and  its  psychology  is  to  produce  sarcastic  comments. 
The  farmer  is  beset  with  weevil  in  the  wheat,  the  orchardist  with 
the  scale,  and  the  merchants  who  have  troubles  of  their  own  are 
prone  to  remark  that  if  the  public  utility  man  does  not  like  this 
avocation,  let  him  go  into  the  balloon  business. 

Electric  Signs  and  Billboards 

Electric  signs  are  the  latest,  and  without  question  the  best 
method  of  what  can  be  termed  stimulative  advertising — the 
class  of  advertising  which  by  brief,concise  statements  emphasizes 


90  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

a  fact,  and  often  induces  the  reading  of  the  more  elaborate 
announcements  in  the  advertising  pages  of  the  newspaper. 
The  electric  sign  writes  its  story  on  the  night  and  is  seen  where 
printed  signs  would  never  be  noticed.  One  of  these  signs,  which 
originated  in  Los  Angeles,  flashes  a  slogan  which  tells  the  story  of 
electrical  advertising.  It  has  since  glowed  on  the  Palisades  on 
the  Hudson  overlooking  greater  New  York,  has  been  used  in 
many  large  cities,  and  illustrated  in  a  well-known  advertising 
magazine.  It  reads,  "Night  Signs  Bring  Day  Business."  The 
central  station  has  a  direct  interest  in  stimulating  the  use  of 
electric  signs — and  in  this  respect  should  be  a  good  patron  of  its 
own  product.  An  electric  company  can  well  afford  to  use  electric 
signs  on  its  stations,  sub-stations,  garages,  warehouses  and  all  its 
offices,  and  such  use  will  stimulate  others  in  a  community  to  do 
likewise. 

Billboards  are  very  effective  for  stimulative  advertising  and 
much  more  so  if  electrically  illuminated.  The  newest  uses  to 
which  they  are  now  devoted  is  to  call  attention  to  advertisements 
which  are  to  appear  in  the  issue  of  the  daily  or  Sunday  newspaper. 
They  should  contain  but  a  few  words,  and  these  must  be  so  largely 
displayed  that  they  can  be  read  from  across  the  street,  or  by  those 
riding  in  passing  street  cars.  If  they  are  typed  too  small  they 
are  worthless.  Street  car  advertising  is  an  excellent  means  of 
communicating  brief,  pungent  statements.  People  have  plenty 
of  time  while  they  are  riding  in  street  cars  to  read  the  advertising 
cards  and  they  usually  do  so.  Such  advertising  is  sometimes 
productive  of  surprising  results. 

Using  the  Backs  of  Bills 

Advertising  on  the  backs  of  electrical  bills  may  not  be  con- 
sidered high  grade  publicity,  but  is  useful  for  certain  promotion 
work.  The  cost,  however,  is  almost  infinitesimal  in  proportion 
to  the  large  distribution,  and  may  be  considered  an  advertising 
by-product  which  should  be  conserved  and  put  to  the  best 
possible  use,  by  carefully  preparing  the  copy.  This  method  of 
reaching  consumers  should  not  be  overlooked  or  wasted  any  more 
than  are  the  coal-tar  or  lamp-black  utilized  as  by-products  of  a 
gas  plant,  or  residuum  at  an  oil  refinery.  Theatre  programs 
have  merits  as  auxiliary  advertising,  but  they  must  be  regarded 
the  same  as  church  catalogs,  hotel  register  advertising  and  that 
entire  class  of  publicity  which  reaches  only  a  very  limited  number 


POTENTIAL  PUBLICITY  91 

of  people — and  simply  touches  spots  in  a  community.  To  use 
an  electric  metaphor,  it  has  a  low  load  factor  and  it  bears  the 
same  relation  to  a  comprehensive  advertising  plan  as  the  massed 
cluster  lights  did  to  modern  street  and  highway  illumination. 

Advertising  Copy 

In  the  preparation  of  advertising  copy,  the  first  consideration 
is  to  make  a  strong,  forceful  announcement,  typed  in  sufficient 
size  to  catch  the  eye.  To  visualize  an  advertisement,  it  should 
be  prepared  so  that  the  words  which  are  used  to  impress  will 
stand  out  in  bold  type.  The  connective  lines  can  be  cut  down 
to  very  small  type  as  they  are  merely  there  to  make  the  legend 
consistent  and  grammatical.  If  the  main  statement  catches  the 
eye,  the  advertiser  can  consume  a  great  deal  of  space  in  type  no 
larger  than  the  text  of  the  paper,  and  be  practically  certain  that 
it  will  be  read.  A  very  good  form  is  to  place  these  small  text 
announcements  in  a  one-column  box  in  the  advertisement.  The 
displaying  of  an  advertisement  should  not  be  trusted  to  dashing 
a  few  pencil  marks  under  the  words  which  are  to  be  printed  in  big 
type.  Type  is  all  made  in  standard  sizes,  the  height  being 
measured  in  points.  A  type-book,  available  at  any  newspaper 
office,  gives  specimens  of  these  types,  showing  the  height,  width 
and  number  of  letters  that  can  be  made  to  fit  into  a  column  line. 
By  taking  one  of  these  books,  and  working  out  the  typing  of  an 
ad  on  the  point  system,  the  exact  result  desired  can  be  produced 
instead  of  leaving  the  important  matter  of  display  to  the  chance 
choice  of  a  compositor.  It  is  usually  best  to  type  ads  in  one 
series.  Breaking  series  gives  printed  matter  the  same  look  as  a 
letter  penned  in  the  handwriting  of  several  persons.  It  implies 
utter  ignorance  of  the  art  of  printing  and  has  a  haphazard  appear- 
ance. The  illustration  of  advertising  can  do  much  to  improve 
its  effectiveness.  It  is  a  part  of  the  business,  however,  on  which 
many  copy-writers  go  wrong,  simply  because  they  have  not  the 
necessary  knowledge  of  the  technique  of  reproduction  and  photo- 
engraving. Most  photographers  are  unfamiliar  with  reproduction 
processes,  and  do  not  know  how  to  take  photographs  so  that 
they  will  reproduce  at  correct  angles  and  proper  perspectives. 

The  central  station  manager  must  not  overlook  the  value  of 
folders,  circulars  and  follow-up  letters.  These  are  aU  effective 
for  special  educational  and  promotion  purposes.  The  fact  that 
they  may  be  mailed  to  selected  lists  of  prospects  or  consumers 


92  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

ensures  their  getting  into  the  hands  of  those  who  are  likely  to  be 
interested  in  what  is  told  or  offered,  and  because  of  this,  satis- 
factory results  may  be  reasonably  expected. 

The  Possibilities  of  the  Motion  Picture 

Motion  picture  or  film  advertising  is  destined  to  become  a  great 
factor  in  publicity.  It  has  possibilities  of  being  educational  in  the 
highest  sense  and  its  scope  seems  sufficient  to  include  all  of  the 
other  classes  that  have  been  touched  upon.  But  as  yet  it  has 
not  been  worked  out  or  reduced  to  anything  having  a  semblance 
of  system.  The  obstacles  which  stand  in  the  way  of  its  general 
use  are  these:  Large  moving  picture  houses  that  run  five-reel 
features,  and  short  comedy,  and  are  now  supplementing  the 
entertainment  with  vaudeville  and  musical  attractions,  are 
cutting  out  the  travelogue  and  educational  pictures,  and  will  not 
use  any  film  that  has  even  an  indirect  advertising  announcement. 
The  neighborhood  and  rural  picture  houses  will  accept  educa- 
tional films  with  a  small  amount  of  advertising  included,  and  if 
the  picture  is  good  many  of  them  will  present  it  without  any 
charge.  It  would  be  necessary  to  run  a  film  through  all  of  the 
neighborhood  and  rural  theatres  in  a  community  in  order  to  give 
it  a  general  publicity  value,  and  this  cannot  be  accomplished 
under  any  of  the  present  releasing  arrangements.  It  therefore 
follows  that  money  expended  for  a  film  without  some  system  of 
having  it  displayed,  is  more  or  less  of  a  venture.  Whether  or 
not  the  electrical  industry  can  evolve  some  particular  method  of 
film  production  which  will  take  it  out  of  the  class  of  small  spot 
advertising  is  an  interesting  problem,  and  worthy  of  careful 
thought.  The  cost  of  producing  one  negative  of  a  commercial 
film  ranges  from  one  dollar  per  foot  up.  Exteriors  such  as  power 
plants,  hydraulic  installations  and  out-door  lighting  effects 
cost  the  camera  man's  time  and  the  price  of  the  film,  including  its 
development.  In  some  respects  the  moving  picture,  as  an  ad- 
vertising medium,  has  no  equal  and  there  is  no  business  that  can 
use  it  to  greater  advantage  than  the  electrical  industry.  The 
electrical  business  is  essentially  active  and  aggressive — it  spells 
activity  in  all  its  uses.  The  motion  picture  can  represent  action 
better  than  any  other  advertising  means — it  is  activity  personified 
J  and  is  destined  to  become  one  of  the  great  mediums  for  telling 
'  the  electric  story  of  ease,  comfort,  economy,  health  and  hope  for 
'v'all. 


POTENTIAL  PUBLICITY  93 

Each  type  of  advertising  which  has  been  referred  to  must  be 
sincerely  honest,  and  have  proof  for  its  underlying  principle. 
Fake  advertising  is  always  a  boomerang.  It  pays  to  advertise 
only  when  the  advertising  is  truthful,  for  "above  all  things  truth 
beareth  away  the  victory." 

Advertising  and  Development 

The  well  operated  central  station  company  makes  an  advertis- 
ing appropriation  at  the  beginning  of  each  year.  Of  the  total 
appropriation,  experience  has  indicated  that  approximately 
seventy-five  per  cent  can  well  be  spent  in  newspaper  advertising, 
and  the  remainder  distributed  among  the  other  mediums  and 
methods  mentioned.  The  amount  of  this  appropriation  depends 
upon  the  amount  of  intensive  or  extensive  developments  desired 
— and  this  development  often  depends  upon  the  funds  available 
for  additions  to  plants  and  extensions  to  distributing  systems. 
Intensive  development  does  not  require  the  additions  to  capital 
expenditure  that  are  required  by  extensive  development.  In- 
tensive development  represents  greater  earning  from  present 
investment — and  as  a  means  to  this  end,  nothing  produces  more 
direct  results  than  the  timely  use  of  carefully  prepared  advertise- 
ments, followed  up  with  personal  interviews.  To  the  central 
station  company  advertising  may  be  made  as  effective  as  in  any 
commercial  enterprise.  Stereotyped,  unproductive  advertising 
should  be  eliminated  without  loss  of  time,  and  the  money  hereto- 
fore wasted  in  this  manner  should  be  invested  in  such  known 
methods  of  publicity  that  will  produce  satisfactory  results. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  COMMERCIAL  INSTINCT 

While  there  is  little  resemblance  between  a  central  station 
business  and  that  of  a  mercantile  establishment,  yet,  in  the 
development  and  up-building  of  each  business  the  services  of  a 
certain  class  of  men  become  necessary.  In  the  central  station 
business,  skilled  electrical  and  mechanical  engineers  are  required 
to  design  and  construct  the  plants,  and  plan  and  erect  transmis- 
sion and  distribution  lines — but  as  a  rule,  these  same  engineers 
know  little  about  marketing  the  product  and  selling  the  service 
of  the  central  station.  The  work  falls  upon  the  commercial 
engineer,  the  sales  engineer,  the  plain  salesman  or  whatever  he 
may  be  termed — but  at  any  rate,  he  must  be  a  man  who  has 
commercial  training  with  an  instinct  for  finding  business,  and 
the  sagacity  to  secure  it.  Some  men  innately  have  the  commercial 
instinct.  In  some  men  it  may  be  developed,  and  with  others 
neither  education  nor  exhortation,  neither  precept  nor  example 
will  ever  make  them  realize  how  to  see  and  how  to  sell.  While  it 
may  be  true  that  it  is  impossible  to  develop  this  commercial  instinct 
in  some  men,  it  may  also  be  true  that  other  men  may  be  born  with 
an  abnormal  amount  of  it.  An  instance  of  this  may  be  found  in 
the  story  of  a  man  who  one  day  rushed  into  a  store  and  said  to  the 
clerk,  "Quick,  a  quarter's  worth  of  carbolic  acid!"  "This  is  a 
hardware  store,  not  a  drug  store,"  explained  the  quickwitted  sales- 
man, "but  we  have  a  fine  line  of  ropes,  revolvers  and  razors." 
Again  it  is  possible  where  in  some  instances  the  commercial 
instinct  is  developed,  that  there  may  be  some  over-development, 
along  calm  and  deliberate  lines.  A  certain  printing  and  engrav- 
ing establishment  in  Buffalo  one  day  received  a  notice  from  one 
of  its  customers  in  the  banking  business  in  a  middle  west  town, 
containing  the  information  that  its  president  had  died.  The 
notice  was  turned  over  to  a  clerk  with  instructions  to  send  a 
suitable  reply.  In  due  course  the  bank  received  a  letter  from  the 
Buffalo  establishment  which  read  as' follows:  "We  are  greatly 
pained  to  learn  of  the  loss  sustained  by  your  bank,  and  extend  to 
you  our  heartfelt  sympathy.     We  notice  that  the  circular  you 

94 


THE  COMMERCIAL  INSTINCT  95 

sent  us,  announcing  Mr.  Brown's  death,  was  lithographed  by  a 
Chicago  house.  We  regret  that  you  did  not  allow  us  to  figure  on 
this  job.  The  next  time  there  is  a  bereavement  in  your  bank, 
we  shall  be  glad  to  quote  you  on  lithographed  circulars,  and  feel 
confident  that  we  can  give  you  better  work  at  less  cost  than  any 
other  house  in  the  business.  Trusting  we  may  soon  have  an 
opportunity  to  quote  you  prices,  we  remain  with  profound  sympa- 
thy,— "  This  man's  idea  of  taking  advantage  of  every  oppor- 
tunity may  have  been  carried  a  little  too  far,  but  he  certainly 
had  the  commercial  instinct  fully  developed. 

Cumulative  Results 

The  manager  of  a  utility  company  knows  that  the  fundamental 
basis  for  selling  his^product  is  to  get  the  public  confidence.  The 
confidence  must  be  mutual  between  buyer  and  seller;  after  that 
it  is  only  a  question  of  merit — that  is,  the  value  of  the  commodity 
offered  and  the  ability  of  the  salesman  to  convince  the  buyer  that 
he  should  place  an  order.  In  the  central  station  business,  the 
salesman  has  a  wonderful  story  to  tell  to  the  prospects  for  service. 
There  is  a  great  difference  between  the  results  obtained  by  the 
salesman  for  a  mercantile  establishment  and  those  obtained  by 
the  man  who  sells  electric  service.  For  the  merchant,  when  a 
sale  is  made,  and  the  money  for  the  goods  purchased  is  paid  over, 
the  transaction  is  closed.  But  for  the  electric  company  the  sale 
of  service,  be  it  light,  heat  or  power,  the  sale  of  a  lamp,  a  motor 
or  a  current-consuming  appliance  is  just  the  beginning  of  business 
— for  month  after  month  and  year  after  year,  the  current- 
consuming  device  or  its  successor,  be  it  lamp,  motor  or  appliance, 
will  continue  to  produce  an  income  for  the  company.  Conse- 
quently, the  electrical  salesman's  work  cannot  be  measured  by 
the  day,  for  it  is  cumulative,  and  the  results  go  on  forever. 

Visualizing  Business 

The  electrical  salesman,  with  the  commercial  instinct,  sees 
opportunities  for  business  in  every  direction.  To  the  merchant 
he  points  out  the  advantages  of  electric  light  for  displaying  his 
goods,  for  keeping  his  ceilings  and  store  clean,  by  an  absence 
of  smoke  and  smut;  for  reducing  the  heat  in  summer,  and  per- 
mitting good  air  at  all  times;  for  improving  the  decoration  of  his 
windows,  and  keeping  them  attractive,  winter  and  summer,  so 
that  the  public  may  see  what  he  wishes  to  display.     And  then  the 


96  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

salesman  shows  the  merchant  a  score  of  electrical  devices  which 
may  be  operated  to  advantage  inside  his  store,  to  lighten  the 
work  of  his  employes  and  help  him  make  money.  Finally  the 
salesman  takes  his  merchant  friend  to  the  door,  and  points  out 
the  location  where  an  electric  sign  will  work  for  him  while  he 
sleeps;  how  he  can  burn  his  name  and  business  into  the  public 
mind — and  how  the  electric  company  will  take  care  of  the  sign, 
turn  the  current  on  and  off  at  the  proper  times  and  relieve  him 
of  all  responsibility  in  the  matter.  The  power  user  has  much  to 
learn  and  to  a  great  extent  the  salesman  with  the  commercial 
instinct  must  be  his  instructor.  The  salesman  drops  into  a 
factory,  in  connection  with  his  daily  work  of  spreading  the  gospel 
of  electricity.  Probably  this  factory  is  in  a  crowded  part  of  the 
city  where  space  is  valuable  and  rents  are  high.  What  does  he 
see  in  connection  with  the  operation  of  the  private  plant?  Pro- 
bably fifty  per  cent  of  the  power  generated,  wasted  and  dissi- 
pated in  shafting  and  belting  before  the  machines  commence 
to  operate.  Probably  ten  times  as  much  space  given  up  to 
engines  and  boilers,  as  would  hold  a  complete  electrical  equip- 
ment. Probably  twice  as  much  money  invested  in  the  power 
end  as  there  should  be,  and,  consequently,  twice  as  much  interest, 
taxes  and  insurance  and  four  times  as  much  depreciation  con- 
tinually piling  up.  He  probably  finds  plenty  of  noise,  dirt, 
smell  and  inconvenience,  to  say  nothing  of  high  priced  skilled 
labor  to  keep  the  decrepit  wheels  of  his  private  plant  moving. 
Little  by  little — by  explanation  and  by  exhibition,  the  salesman 
can  show  that  electrically  driven  machinery  represents  economy 
of  power,  by  means  of  direct  connected  units;  that  motors  occupy 
little  space  and  may  be  taken  off  the  floors  and  stuck  on  the  walls 
and  ceilings;  that  they  cost  half  the  price  of  other  kinds  of  power 
equipment;  that  their  maintenance  and  depreciation  is  a  matter 
of  little  consideration;  and  finally,  that  they  are  clean,  noiseless, 
convenient  and  reliable,  and  do  not  require  skilled  labor  to 
operate  them.  To  the  manufacturer  who  has  had  constant 
worry  keeping  his  plant  going  and  his  factory  running,  this  story 
sounds  like  sweet  music  in  his  ears,  and  the  skilled  salesman 
sooner  or  later  gets  the  order  he  is  after. 

Transforming  a  Home 

When  the  electrical  man  with  the  commercial  instinct  has  an 
opportunity  to  turn  himself  loose  in  the  modern  home  he  speaks 


THE  COMMERCIAL  INSTINCT  97 

with  the  tongues  of  men  and  angels.  At  every  turn  he  can  make 
a  suggestion  that  will  help  the  customer  and  benefit  his  company. 
There  is  some  electrical  device  for  every  room  which  will  lighten 
labor  and  ease  the  strain  of  daily  life.  The  kitchen  has  many 
electric  appliances,  and  other  devices  for  cleaning,  polishing  and 
dishwashing.  The  laundry  has  the  electric  washing  machine 
and  electric  irons,  mangles  and  dryers.  The  dining  room  has 
electric  table  accessories  such  as  toasters,  percolators,  tea-urns 
and  chafing  dishes;  the  living  room  has  eye  saving  electric 
reading  lamps,  fans,  foot  warmers,  cigar  lighters  and  motors  on 
the  piano  and  organ.  The  bedroom  has  electric  heating  pads, 
water  bottles  and  water  heaters.  The  bath  room  has  electric 
shaving  mugs  and  curling  irons — while  the  work  of  the  vacuum 
cleaner  and  other  sanitary  appliances  is  in  evidence  in  every 
direction.  In  all  his  work  the  man  with  the  commercial  instinct 
in  selling  electric  service  has  no  more  convincing  argument  than 
that  of  saving  time.  Electric  service  saves  time,  and  to  save 
time  is  to  lengthen  life.  In  this  age  of  hurry,  time  is  one  of  the 
most  valuable  assets  of  the  business  man  and  the  woman  in  the 
home,  and  a  proposition  that  will  save  time  is  one  that  will 
invariably  receive  careful  and  eager  attention. 

Diversity  of  Load 

To  the  man  with  the  commercial  instinct,  the  electric  company 
looks  for  the  up-building  of  the  load  factor  as  well  as  the  load. 
It  is  an  easy  matter  to  explain  the  difference  between  load  build- 
ing and  load  factor  building,  but  not  always  easy  to  tell  how  to 
obtain  a  better  load  factor  when  building  up  the  business  of  a 
central  station  company.  In  most  communities  evening  peak 
will  come  without  much  effort,  but  not  so  with  day  load  and 
early  morning  load.  In  order  to  build  up  a  really  good  load 
factor,  there  must  be  a  great  diversity  in  the  classes  of  service 
supplied,  and  for  an  electric  company  to  attain  a  really  high  load 
factor  there  must  be  a  great  diversity  in  load,  or  else  relatively 
large  blocks  of  power  must  be  sold  for  continuous  use.  The 
man  with  the  commercial  instinct  knows  of  no  class  of  business 
that  would  not  be  better  for  using  electric  service,  and  by  getting 
all  classes  into  line,  and  selling  the  limit  each  class  can  consume, 
he  obtains  the  needed  diversity  of  load  and  builds  up  the  load 
factor  on  his  company's  system.  This  can  be  done  only  by 
extensive   and   intensive   development,   mainly  brought  about 


98  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

through  the  personal  efforts  of  the  man  with  the  commercial 
instinct,  in  constantly  explaining  and  demonstrating  the  undeni- 
able advantages  derived  from  the  use  of  electric  service — "To 
every  man  according  to  his  necessity — for  every  man  according 
to  his  need." 

Creating  Opportunities 

The  problem  for  the  central  station  manager  is  to  develop  the 
commercial  instinct  in  all  departments  of  his  organization,  and 
not  look  for  it  alone  in  his  new  business  department  or  among  his 
salesmen.  There  is  no  kind  of  business  that  is  as  susceptible 
of  development  through  suggestion  as  that  of  the  electric  dis- 
tributing company.  The  clerk  at  the  counter  receiving  an 
application  for  service  can  inquire  if  the  applicant  has  this 
appliance  or  the  other  and  point  out  where  it  may  be  seen  and 
purchased.  The  cashier  or  his  assistants  may  easily  suggest 
that  the  customers  making  payments  look  at  some  new  electrical 
device  which  may  be  on  exhibition  in  the  office  display  room. 
The  man  who  comes  in  to  make  a  complaint,  if  properly  handled, 
may  go  away  with  a  determination  to  buy  some  other  current 
consuming  apparatus  just  because  its  advantages  were  carefully 
explained  by  the  clerk  who  received  his  complaint.  The  col- 
lector has  a  splendid  opportunity  for  he  talks  to  scores  of  cus- 
tomers daily.  The  trouble  man  who  goes  into  the  home  to  make 
repairs  has  a  rich  field  in  which  to  sow  the  seed  that  arouses 
interest,  and  develops  inquiries  for  greater  service.  There  are 
no  limits  to  where  suggestions  may  be  made  for  there  is  no  con- 
sumer using  so  much  service  that  he  cannot  take  some  more  to 
his  own  advantage. 

The  Personal  Element 

The  man  with  the  commercial  instinct  fully  developed  usually 
knows  the  value  of  attention  to"  his  personal  appearance,  and 
how  much  depends  upon  the  impression  his  appearance  makes 
when  calling  upon  prospects.  In  the  central  station  business,  a 
man  representing  an  import^t  company  has  a  great  responsi- 
bility for  the  magnitude  and  importance  of  his  company  is  often 
measured  by  the  appearance  of  the  representative.  The  man 
with  careless  apparel  and  unshaven  face  always  places  himself 
at  a  disadvantage,  and,  of  necessity,  the  company  he  represents 
also.     The  world  rarely  puts  a  higher  price  upon  a  man  than  he 


THE  COMMERCIAL  INSTINCT  99 

places  upon  himself,  and  frequently  it  marks  him  down  from  his 
own  estimate.  Carelessness,  untidiness,  and  disregard  for  the 
conventionalities  have  relegated  many  a  man  to  the  bargain 
counter.  There  are  only  two  kinds  of  men  who  can  afford  to 
disregard  their  personal  appearance — the  very  rich  man  and  those 
without  ambition.  However,  if  either  of  these  classes  get  into 
the  central  station  business  and  remain  untidy,  their  careers  in 
that  industry  would  necessarily  be  short.  The  successful  com- 
mercial man  also  knows  the  value  of  courtesy  and  enthusiasm — 
in  reality  it  is  the  greatest  factor  in  his  success.  With  this  enthu- 
siasm he  will  at  all  times  work  to  convince  the  people  that  his 
company  is  operating  in  their  interest — and  will  do  everything 
possible  to  render  the  business  relations  betwen  the  company 
and  its  patrons,  pleasant,  agreeable  and  profitable  to  both. 
The  more  people  the  commercial  man  can  get  to  think  favorably 
of  him  and  his  business,  the  faster  will  the  business  develop  and 
increase.  Then,  mixed  with  courtesy  and  enthusiasm,  there  is  a 
tremendous  asset  in  a  pleasant  smile,  and  the  man  behind  the 
pleasant  smile  has  a  tremendous  advantage — 

"The  thing  that  goes  the  farthest  towards  making  Ufe  worth  while, 
That  costs  the  least  and  does  the  most,  is  just  a  pleasant  smile. 
It's  full  of  worth  and  goodness  too,  with  hearty  kindness  blent, 
It's  worth  a  milhon  dollars,  and — it  doesn't  cost  a  cent." 

Recognizing  Friends 

The  central  station  man  with  the  commercial  instinct  has  one 
friend  for  whom  he  has  the  highest  regard — that  is  the  customer. 
There  are  some  men  in  the  industry  who  seem  to  think  the  central 
station  business  would  be  simply  irresistible,  if  it  were  not  for 
the  customer.  Such  men  look  jipon  an  applicant  for  service  as 
an  objectionable  nuisan(/e;  a  request  for  information  about  some 
electrical  appliance  as  simply  a  bore,  ahd  a  desire  to  pay  an 
electric  bill  something  that  should  be  barely  tolerated.  Such 
men,  however,  are  being  gradually  eliminated,  either  by  the 
process  known  as  "the  survival  of  the  fittest"  or  by  assasination 
at  the  hands  of  irate  customers.  But  the  man  with  the  com- 
mercial instinct  knows  that  the  customer  is  the  best  friend  he  has. 
This  friend  patiently  listens  to  wonderful  tales  of  a  light  that  is 
more  fascinating  than  that  which  gleamed  from  Aladdin's  lamp 
— of  the  marvelous,  health-inducing  and  s^^nitary  heat,  and  of  the 
mysterious  power,  which  works  quietly  and  effectually  in  day- 


100  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

light  and  darkness.  This  friend  signs  all  apphcations  for  various 
kinds  of  service  as  they  are  presented  to  him,  orders  all  sorts  of 
current-consuming  devices  and  appliances  to  increase  his  con- 
sumption, sits  up  nights  to  use  more  freely  the  commodity 
suppHed,  and  at  the  end  of  the  month,  insists  upon  paying  good 
money  for  the  most  intangible  product  ever  sold  or  distributed. 
The  man  with  the  commercial  instinct  recognizes  that  customer 
as  the  one  thing  needful  to  him  and  the  company,  and  that  the 
customer  should  always  be  treated  with  such  courtesy,  deference 
and  tactful  politeness  that  he  will  think  and  believe  doing 
buisness  with  him  and  the  company  he  represents  a  real  pleasure. 
To  the  engineer,  it  is  a  great  source  of  satisfaction  to  have  the 
honor  of  aiding  substantially  in  the  construction  of  some  immense 
power  plant  that  harnesses  and  tames  a  mountain  torrent  and 
delivers  its  energy  in  a  commercial  form  in  some  center  of  popula- 
tion, maybe  a  hundred  or  more  miles  away.  But  the  satisfaction 
and  pride  of  the  engineer  is  not  greater  than  that  of  the  man  with 
the  commercial  instinct  who  goes  out  and  finds  a  market  for 
that  power.  Through  his  untiring  efforts  it  is  advantageously 
used  every  hour  in  the  day,  thus  producing  earnings  which  justify 
the  investment  represented  in  the  installation.  At  the  same 
time,  cheerfulness,  health,  hope  and  happiness  are  brought  to 
the  many  who  have  been  persuaded  to  accept  the  magic  service 
of  the  electric  company  through  whose  foresight  and  enterprise 
such  service  has  been  made  possible. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  ART  OF  CONCILIATION 

In  America,  when  an  editor  rejects  your  manuscript,  he  does 
it  either  with  a  curt  "Dechned  with  thanks,"  or  else  sends  a 
printed  sHp  on  which  he  presents  his  compHments,  which  you 
don't  want,  and  regrets  he  cannot  grant  you  what  you  do  want. 
But  when  an  editor  in  a  certain  oriental  country  finds  that  your 
article  or  poem  or  story  isn't  worth  the  paper  it  is  written  on  he 
sends  you  a  letter  like  this : 

"Illustrious  brother  of  the  sun  and  moon — Behold  thy  servant 
prostrate  before  thy  feet.  I  bow  to  thee  and  beg  of  thy  gracious- 
ness  that  I  may  speak  and  live.  Thy  honored  manuscript  has 
deigned  to  cast  the  light  of  its  countenance  upon  me.  With 
raptures  I  have  perused  it.  By  the  bones  of  my  ancestors,  never 
have  I  encountered  such  wit,  such  pathos,  such  lofty  thought. 
With  fear  and  trembling  I  return  the  writing.  Were  I  to  publish 
the  treasure  you  sent  me,  the  Emperor  would  order  that  it  should 
be  made  the  standard,  and  that  none  be  published  except  such 
as  equaled  it.  Knowing  literature  as  I  do,  and  that  it  would  be 
impossible  in  ten  thousand  years  to  equal  what  you  have  done,  I 
send  your  writing  back.  Ten  thousand  times  I  crave  yoiir  par- 
don. Behold  my  head  is  at  your  feet — Do  what  you  will — 
Your  servant's  servant — The  Editor." 

Winning  the  Public's  Confidence 

If  nothing  better  could  be  said  about  the  foregoing  letter,  it 
must  be  acknowledged  that  the  writer  had  some  conception  of 
the  Art  of  Conciliation.  The  trouble  with  so  many  Public 
Utility  employes  is,  they  apparently  feel  that  if  brusqueness  and 
abruptness  will  do  the  work,  why  bother  about  trying  conciliation 
to  please?  If  some  interested  organization,  seeking  the  truth, 
were  to  send  broadcast  throughout  the  land  this  question,  "What 
is  the  greatest  need  of  the  Public  Utility  Company  of  today?" 
the  returning  answer  would  be,  "The  confidence  of  its  patrons  in 
particular  and  the  public  in  general."     There  are  many  phases  of 

101 


102  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

a  utility  company's  business  which  require  more  than  ordinary 
attention,  and  many  problems  yet  to  solve,  but  the  ever  present 
problem  is  how  to  eliminate  the  lingering  prejudice  against  such 
corporations.  The  responsible  heads  of  companies  have  little 
difficulty  in  obtaining  the  services  of  competent  engneers  to 
construct  and  operate  a  property.  There  is  not  such  trouble  in 
enlisting  the  financial  aid  necessary  to  develop  a  property  if  it  is 
located  in  a  thriving  territory  with  growing  population,  but  there 
is  always  a  difficulty  for  even  the  best  intentioned  corporation 
when  it  comes  to  the  question  of  winning  and  holding  the  confi- 
dence and  good  will  of  a  community.  The  question  is  often 
asked,  "Why  does  this  unfortunate  condition  continue  to  exist?" 
The  answer  to  the  query  points  in  two  directions — external 
reasons  on  the  one  hand  and  internal  causes  on  the  other.  It  is 
a  far  cry  down  the  centuries  when  we  look  back  two  thousand 
years,  but  before  we  analyze  present  conditions  it  might  be  profit- 
able to  recall  some  words  uttered  twenty  centuries  ago.  At  that 
time  there  lived  in  Rome  a  man  named  Cicero,  one  of  the  wisest 
men  whose  words  and  deeds  are  recorded  in  the  annals  of  history. 
He  said  on  one  occasion,  "It  is  difficult  to  tell  how  much  men's 
minds  are  conciliated  by  a  kind  manner  and  gentle  speech." 
He  must  have  known  that  conciliation  precedes  and  induces 
confidence.  If  the  art  existed  in  Rome  in  those  early  days, 
maybe  it  can  be  revived  in  this  country  during  the  present 
century  and  applied  in  such  directions  as  it  will  do  the  most  good. 

The  Origin  of  Distrust 
Looking  at  the  external  reasons  for  distrust  of  corporations,  we 
find  that  there  is  more  than  one  page  of  earlier  corporation  history 
written  over  with  true  stories  of  greed,  aggression  and  disregard 
of  public  rights.  Turning  from  the  past  we  find  that  there  is 
more  than  one  latter  day  example  of  short-sightedness,br  each  of 
faith  and  mismanagement;  added  to  this  is  the  ever  present  yellow 
journal,  with  its  failing  for  startling  headlines,  inveighing  against 
the  so-called  Trusts.  Then  there  are  the  mouthings  of  the  pro- 
fessional agitator,  and  the  theories  and  vagaries  of  the  self- 
appointed  reform  politician.  We  cannot  deny  that  the  yellow 
journal,  the  agitator  and  the  politician  have  had  some  excuse  for 
their  utterances,  because  of  the  mistakes,  indifference  and 
incivility  on  the  part  of  the  management  of  some  utility  com- 
panies under  their  observation,  and  with  whom  they  have  had  to 
do  business. 


THE  ART  OF  CONCILIATION  103 

Turning  to  the  internal  causes  of  public  distrust,  it  might  be 
well  for  each  company  through  its  officials  to  make  a  self-exami- 
nation. Much  regrettable  history  of  corporations,  which  has 
left  its  mark  to  prejudice  on  the  public  mind,  is  not  chargeable  to 
any  present  day  company,  but  existing  companies  are  responsible 
for  what  goes  on  within  their  organizations.  If  the  public  today 
does  not  seem  to  exhibit  complete  confidence  in  all  a  corporation 
says  and  does,  perhaps  it  is  not  the  public  that  is  most  to  blame. 

ENVELOPMENT  OF  REGtJLATION 

The  regulation  of  public  utilities  by  State  Commissions  has 
advanced  step  by  step  during  recent  years,  and  it  is  inevitable 
that  every  public  utility  company  in  the  United  States  will 
eventually  be  subject  to  the  immediate  control  of  some  Commis- 
sion responsible  to  the  people.  In  the  main,  patrons,  consumers, 
managers,  owners  and  security  holders  of  such  properties  have 
been  satisfied  with  the  results  thus  far  achieved.  Uniform  rates 
have  been  established,  uniform  systems  of  accounting  have  been 
put  into  effect  and  in  some  directions  uniform  methods  of  opera- 
tion have  been  made  possible.  Some  Commissions  have  very 
broad  powers,  and  while  the  distinction  between  regulation  and 
management  is  recognized,  there  is  always  a  possibility  that 
regulation  may  be  extended.  If  a  State  Commission  has  power 
to  dictate  what  rates  shall  be  charged,  what  shall  be  the  quality 
of  service  and  the  conditions  under  which  it  shall  be  supplied, 
then  why  should  it  not  control  the  personal  treatment  which 
shall  be  given  customers  by  a  public  utility  through  its  employes? 
Are  not  civility,  courtesy  and  attention  as  much  a  part  of  good 
service  as  the  rate  charged  or  the  voltage  delivered?  These 
questions  are  asked,  but  such  minute  supervision  is  not  advo- 
cated. However,  the  trend  of  the  times  may  bring  some  sur- 
prises in  this  direction.  It  would  not  be  an  improbable  thing 
for  traveling  representatives  of  a  Commission  to  drop  into  some 
of  the  public  offices  of  utility  companies,  just  to  learn  at  first 
hand  how  the  company  treats  its  patrons  across  the  counters  and 
over  the  telephones,  and  through  this  agency  a  few  company 
managers  might  be  enlightened  about  the  way  their  assistants 
are  handling  the  public.  Maybe  the  trend  of  the  times  is  point- 
ing to  something  still  more  radical.  Is  it  not  within  the  bounds  of 
possibility  that  some  commissions  might  put  a  premium  upon 
records  of  broad  public  policy  and  the  personal  touch  in  manage- 


104  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

ments,  and  a  penalty  may  be  imposed  where  a  company's  repu- 
tation in  this  regard  is  below  a  deisred  standard.  Such  pre- 
miums and  penalties  might  be  easily  provided  when  rate  fixing 
investigations  are  under  way.  All  rates  are  calculated  upon  a 
basis  to  yield  a  certain  net  return  on  the  capital  invested.  An 
increase  of,  say,  one  per  cent  above  the  average  allowed  would 
be  a  handsome  premium  for  some  companies,  and  a  decrease  of 
one  per  cent  would,  in  some  cases,  be  a  severe  penalty. 

-,^  Incentives  to  Courtesy 

Many  officials  of  companies  will  say,  "Oh,  things  are  alto- 
gether different  now  to  what  they  once  were — the  public  is  being 
well  treated."  For  the  present  it  may  be  acknowledged  that 
there  has  been  a  great  improvement  in  matters  of  this  kind. 
Managers  have  sent  out  correctly  worded  circular  letters  with 
carefully  prepared  instructions  to  employes  as  to  how  the  public 
must  be  treated.  If  instructions  given  were  always  carried  out, 
conditions  would  be  ideal.  But  they  are  not.  Time  and  again 
a  man  may  be  instructed  to  be  considerate,  civil  and  polite,  but 
he  will  not  unless  he  so  desires.  Unless  a  man  has  within  him 
the  desire  to  be  conciliatory  and  courteous,  there  are  only  two 
ways  to  make  him  at  least  observe  the  forms  of  civility — namely, 
through  incentive  or  fear.  If  he  has  ambition  to  progress  and 
knows  that  he  must  follow  instructions  to  do  so,  he  will  likely  do 
his  best.  If  he  has  the  fear  of  losing  his  position  for  disobeying 
he  will  likely  make  a  brave  attempt  to  do  what  is  wanted.  If  a 
company  manager  wants  really  to  know  how  his  patrons  are  dealt 
with,  let  him  send  a  representative  unknown  to  employes  to  his 
different  offices  to  make  such  inquiries  or  complaints  as  are 
usually  made  by  patrons  or  the  public,  and  learn  how  they  are 
treated  or  answered.  Let  the  representative  call  up  the  offices 
on  the  telephone  asking  for  information  and  learn  what  replies 
are  given  or  what  delays  are  met  with.  Some  surprises  will  be 
in  store  for  the  manager  who  shows  this  amount  of  interest  in 
his  business.  He  will  learn  that  he  has  some  clerks  who  are  won- 
ders in  diplomacy,  and  others  who  handle  customers  as  if  they  were 
material  to  be  "eaten  up." 

The  Nature  of  Service 

It  too  frequently  happens  among  corporation  employes  that 
the  words  "serve"  and  "service"  are  not  rightly  understood. 


THE  ART  OF  CONCILIATION  105 

The  utility  company  serves  the  people  and  consequently  the 
company,  its  officers  and  employes  are  servants.  Dignified 
service  is  honorable,  and  in  no  way  degrading,  unless  the  servant 
himself  degrades  it.  Life  is  made  up  of  serivce — all  are  servants 
in  some  respects,  although  perhaps  masters  in  others.  The  motto 
on  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  heir  to  the  throne  of  England  is,  "I 
serve."  The  policeman  on  his  beat,  the  judge  on  the  bench  and 
the  governor  in  the  capitol,  all  serve,  and  the  President  of  the 
United  States  is  the  greatest  servant  of  all,  because  he  serves  all 
the  people. 

If  a  servant  in  a  house  should  become  incivil,  inattentive, 
indifferent  or  discourteous  to  his  master,  would  the  master  be 
pleased?  Would  he  love  that  servant  and  say  that  he  would  be 
delighted  to  help  him  to  the  utmost?  No,  not  likely!  The  mas- 
ter would  probably  say  to  himself,  "I  will  let  that  fellow  go  as 
soon  as  I  can  find  someone  decent  to  take  his  place."  The  rela- 
tion between  the  utility  company  and  the  public  is  very  similar. 
The  public  is  the  master  and  the  company  is  the  servant.  The 
company  exists  by  virtue  of  the  franchise  granted  by  the  public. 
The  public  patronizes  the  company  and  from  the  public  the 
company  derives  its  income.  The  company  is  the  servant  and 
the  public  is  the  master.  In  the  very  nature  of  things,  the  ser- 
vant must  frequently  ask  the  master  for  more  favors — are  they 
granted  cheerfully  or  reluctantly?  That  depends  upon  how  the 
servant  has  pleased  the  master.  Favors  asked  by  companies 
often  look  formidable  to  those  who  do  not  understand;  but  with 
communities  as  with  individuals,  conciliation  may  be  better  than 
logic — they  may  often  be  persuaded  when  they  cannot  be 
convinced. 

The  public  is  the  people,  but  whom  do  the  people  know  as  the 
company?  Not  the  bondholders,  stockholders,  or  directors — not 
the  president,  secretary  or  manager — just  the  employes  who 
transact  the  company's  business  with  the  public.  In  all  truth 
a  company  is  known  and  judged  by  the  men  it  keeps;  at  any  rate, 
the  public  knows  of  no  other  way  to  determine  whether  a  com- 
pany is  good,  bad  or  indifferent — no  other  way  to  tell  whether  a 
company  is  worthy  of  confidence  or  entitled  to  distrust.  If  the 
confidence  of  the  public  is  the  greatest  need  of  the  public  utility 
company,  then  the  way  to  supply  what  is  needed  is  to  conciliate 
— not  one  department — but  all  through  the  organization;  not 
once  in  a  while,  but  all  the  time. 


106  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

Courtesy  Which  Convinces 

It  has  now  become  a  habit  to  lay  stress  on  the  word  "courtesy" 
in  referring  to  the  relations  between  a  utility  company  and  the 
public,  and  it  is  a  good  habit.  But  there  are  degrees  of  courtesy 
— or  rather  it  had  better  be  stated,  there  is  the  imitation  and  the 
real  article.  There  is  the  formal  courtesy  of  the  lip  and  manner, 
and  there  is  the  courtesy  that  flows  from  the  heart.  The  former 
freezes  and  the  latter  warms — the  one  is  seldom  mistaken  for  the 
other.  In  other  words,  real  civility  and  courtesy  must  come 
from  within  a  man  and  not  from  without.  Stripped  of  all  ver- 
biage, genuine  courtesy  is  the  "doing  unto  others  as  you  would 
others  do  unto  you."  But  courtesy  is  not  all  that  is  required  to 
obtain  confidence;  there  must  be  conciliation.  This  word 
expresses  a  combination  of  the  atrributes  which  compel  confi- 
dence— namely,  consideration,  alertness,  sympathy,  attention 
and  courtesy. 

The  paramount  question  is,  how  to  spread  the  gospel  of  con- 
ciliation among  company  employes  so  that  they  may  be  perme- 
ated with  the  knowledge  of  what  the  word  stands  for,  and  its 
importance  to  them  and  the  organization  of  which  they  are  a 
part.  Connected  with  every  up-to-date  electric  company,  there 
is  a  New  Business  Department,  and  it  is  a  notable  fact  that  the 
experienced  salesmen  attached  thereto  do  not  require  to  have  the 
word  explained  to  them.  To  use  a  colloquialism,  conciliation  is 
the  middle  name  of  every  successful  salesman.  They  have 
learned  that  there  can  be  no  success  in  their  work  without  cour- 
teous cheerfulness.  They  know  that  conciliation  makes  friends, 
and  friends  make  business  for  the  salesman.  Now,  if  the  sales- 
man has  learned  how  to  spell  conciliation,  what  has  kept  the 
cashier,  order  clerk,  and  other  office  employes  dealing  directly 
with  the  public  so  backward  in  their  lesson?  Because  the  cashier 
or  order  clerk  is  behind  a  counter  in  an  office,  and  the  customers 
go  to  him  to  do  business,  is  he  any  better  than  the  salesman  who 
must  go  out  and  seek  the  customer?  Is  there  any  reason  why 
an  office  man  should  adopt  an  air  of  superiority  and  talk  to  the 
customer  impatiently,  incivilly  or  condescendingly?  There  is  no 
reason — but  even  today  there  are  some  office  clerks  so  blind  that 
they  cannot  or  will  not  see  the  bad  light  in  which  they  place  the 
company  which  is  paying  their  salaries,  because  of  lofty  indiffer- 
ence and  careless  discourtesy  to  the  company's  patrons. 


THE  ART  OF  CONCILIATION  107 

Selecting  Representatives 

The  principal  points  of  contact  between  a  company  and  the 
pubHc  should  be  guarded  by  employes  who  have  been  carefully 
selected  for  the  position  they  have  to  fill.  The  manager  will  find 
that  for  the  good  of  his  company  and  its  standing  with  the  public, 
he  cannot  give  too  much  thought  to  this  important  matter.  The 
question  of  salary  should  not  be  allowed  to  interfere  with  getting 
good  men  for  such  work — or  of  keeping  good  men  at  it.  Em- 
ployes of  the  wrong  stamp  are  dear  at  any  price.  Men  who  are 
forgetful,  moody,  grouchy  or  dyspeptic  should  be  kept  in  the 
background  and  only  such  men  as  are  cheerful,  alert  and  con- 
siderate should  be  in  the  forefront  in  whatever  place  or  through 
whatever  medium  the  company  may  transact  its  business  with 
its  consumers  and  the  public. 

Some  men  are  born  with  the  natural  desire  to  win  friends  by 
conciliation — a  few  men  may  have  this  quality  developed  in  them 
by  education,  and  others  could  never  acquire  it  by  any  possible 
way.  Most  electric  companies  hold  regular  or  occasional  meet- 
ings of  their  employes,  and  it  is  suggested  that  at  these  meetings 
those  responsible  for  proper  public  relations  should  give  a  series 
of  "little  lessons  on  conciliation."  Employes  might  be  called 
upon  to  demonstrate  how  customers  should  be  handled  under 
different  conditions.  At  each  meeting  one  department  should 
show  by  actual  demonstration  the  ideal  way  of  pleasing  the  public 
from  its  standpoint.  In  their  turn  those  in  charge  of  office  work, 
collection  department,  sales  department,  trouble  department, 
service  deparment,  and  telephone  exchange  should  show  to 
others  in  the  company  how  the  work  can  be  done  in  a  manner 
which  will  please  and  make  friends.  The  manager  should  be  on 
hand  to  criticize,  suggest  and  point  out  the  value  of  the  right 
way  and  the  injury  resulting  from  following  the  wrong  way. 
Such  a  program  would  impress  employes  with  the  absolute  nec- 
essity of  conciliation,  and  will  produce  good  results,  where  cir- 
cular letters  of  instruction  would  not  avail.  ^^ 

The  Extent  of  Conciliation 

There  is  an  attitude  of  conciliation  which  almost  every  man  can 
assume  if  he  is  personally  desirous  of  impressing  another  to  gain 
a  wished-for  end.  It  expresses  a  desire  to  please  which  is  clearly 
visible  in  the  eyes,  in  the  features,  in  the  gestures  and  in  the  tone 
of  voice  which  cannot  be  misunderstood.     This  attitude  of  con- 


108  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

ciliation  is  visible  not  only  in  personal  contact,  but  may  be  traced 
in  the  wording  of  letters,  and  felt  in  conversations  over  the  tele- 
phone. If  a  man  can  effectually  assume  this  attitude  in  personal 
matters,  he  surely  can  also  assume  it  when  transacting  business 
for  the  company  which  pays  for  his  services.  It  is  the  part  of  the 
prudent  man  to  conciliate  the  minds  of  others  and  turn  them  to 
his  own  advantage.  It  is  the  part  of  a  wise  man  to  conciliate 
others  and  turn  them  to  the  advantage  of  the  company  with 
which  he  may  be  connected  and  to  whom  he  looks  for  his  future 
advancement. 

Some  men  think  they  have  done  their  full  duty  towards  the 
policy  of  conciliation  if  they  "meet  the  customer  half  way." 
Some  men  go  a  little  further  and  say,  "Give  the  customer  the 
benefit  of  the  doubt,"  believing  that  should  be  sufficient  to  please 
and  satisfy.  But  no!  perhaps  both  classes  of  men  have  stopped 
too  soon,  for  in  a  complaint  or  controversy,  the  real  attitude  of 
conciliation  assumes  that  "the  customer  is  always  right." 
Before  such  an  attitude,  complaints  are  forgotten,  troubles 
vanish,  and  opposition  fades  away.  The  attitude  of  conciliation 
does  not  mean  a  loss  of  self-respect  or  the  relinquishing  of  any 
rights.  On  the  contrary,  the  implied  consideration  for  the  feel- 
ings and  rights  of  others  adds  dignity  to  a  position  and  costs 
absolutely  nothing. 

Representatives  of  a  corporation,  in  its  defense,  will  sometimes 
state  that  it  is  qnly  an  aggregation  of  individuals,  and  that  the 
corporation  should  not  be  blamed  for  individual  transgressions. 
What  is  the  public  but  a  greater  aggregation  of  individuals  who 
like  their  individuality  recognized? 

The  corporation  whose  employes  consistently  practice  the  Art 
of  Conciliation  when  coming  in  contact  with  its  patrons  will 
realize  some  day  that,  having  pleased  the  individuals,  it  has 
finally  won  the  much  desired  confidence  of  the  public. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
SERVICE 

In  these  latter  days,  any  man  who  possesses  the  most  ordinary 
capacity  for  observation  has  learned  that  in  every  kind  of  busi- 
ness, be  it  big  or  little,  be  it  new  or  old,  there  is  a  universal 
thought  in  one  direction,  and  that  direction  points  to  Service. 
Many  concerns  use  the  word  without  clearly  understanding  its 
meaning,  but  to  them  it  sounds  well  and  they  hope  the  sound  will 
make  a  favorable  impression.  Other  businesses  are  talking  ser- 
vice because  they  feel  something  is  needed  to  satisfy  that  vague, 
indefinable  demand  their  customers  are  making  upon  them.  A 
third  class,  and  this  includes  many  public  utility  companies,  is  now 
endeavoring  to  preach  and  practice  better  serivce,  because  they 
have  learned  a  little  concerning  what  has  been  lost  in  the  past,  by 
withholding  the  real  service  which  they  should  have  given  and 
which  their  patrons  had  a  right  to  expect.  There  is  still  another 
class  of  business  men,  engaged  in  various  commercial  enterprises, 
who  have  long  supplied  a  conscientious  service,  and  they  will 
continue  to  do  so  because  they  have  learned  that  service  is  the 
secret  of  success.  They  well  realize  that  service  is  progressive, 
and  may  be  constantly  improved,  and  they  are  ever  striving  to 
do  those  things  that  will  help  their  particular  service  approach 
perfection. 

The  keynote  of  the  best  thought  in  modern  business  is  Service 
First,  and  as  the  object  of  all  business  enterprise  is  rightfully 
profit,  the  wise  man  of  affairs  sooner  or  later  learns  that  "he 
profits  most  who  serves  best."  In  a  communication  addressed 
to  the  public  in  his  own  city,  a  western  banker  recently  said :  "If 
.  I  had  the  world  to  make  over,  I  would  plant  in  the  minds  of  all 
men  a  desire  to  serve.  Service  covers  a  multitude  of  aims  in  the 
business  world.  It  is  the  big  factor  in  business  life.  It  was  the 
paramount  or  chief  requisite  in  the  Christian  dispensation — 'He 
who  would  be  great,  let  him  serve.'  He  who  would  achieve  pro- 
nounced success  in  business  must  be  strong  in  service." 

There  is  an  idea  prevailing  in  the  minds  of  many  that  the  mod- 
ern central  station  company  sells  light,  heat  and  power,  which 

109 


110  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

are  measured  by  units  called  kilowatt-hours.  Such  an  idea  is  a 
fundamental  error — what  the  central  station  sells  is  service. 
There  is  a  tangible  service  and  an  intangible  service,  and  the  one 
is  not  less  important  than  the  other.  Every  act  of  every  em- 
ploye in  a  company,  from  the  trouble  boy  to  the  president,  from 
the  meter-reader  to  the  chairman  of  the  board,  points  to  one 
thing,  namely — Service.  Every  directors'  meeting,  every  power 
plant  constructed,  every  wire  suspended,  every  waterfall  har- 
nessed, every  generator  installed,  every  transformer  hung,  every 
meter  set  and  every  gathering  of  employes  for  instruction,  all 
mean  the  effort  to  supply  service.  Service  does  not  depend  upon 
the  work  of  one  department,  but  of  all  departments,  and  if  the 
work  of  any  department  fails,  then  the  service  thereby  becomes 
impaired.  Service  does  not  depend  upon  any  individual  or  class 
individuals,  but  upon  the  whole  organization,  and  if  the  work  of 
any  man  fails,  then  the  service  becomes  impaired  even  in  greater 
proportion  than  the  importance  of  that  man's  particular  work. 
Good  service  does  not  mean  alone  the  kind  of  light  supplied — 
it  includes  everything  relating  to  the  affairs  of  the  company.  It 
does  not  mean  alone  the  kind  of  power  furnished — it  includes  the 
manner  in  which  poles  are  erected  and  wires  strung;  in  which 
streets  are  opened  and  pavements  relaid.  Good  service  does  not 
mean  alone  how  heat  is  delivered — it  includes  the  promptness 
with  which  customers'  wants  are  met;  with  which  service  inter- 
rupted is  restored,  and  the  attitude  and  consideration  with  which 
every  kind  of  work  and  every  detail  is  handled.  There  is  the 
practical  side  of  business  and  there  is  the  sentimental  side,  and 
never  before  in  the  history  of  business  has  the  sentimental  side 
counted  for  so  much.  This  is  the  day  of  big  things,  great  indus- 
trial establishments,  vast  commercial  enterprises,  and  giant 
engineering  undertakings.  It  is  also  the  day  when  attention  to 
the  so-called  "little  things"  is  more  essential  than  ever.  What 
is  being  done  may  be  important,  but  how  it  is  being  done  may  be 
much  more  important.  What  is  being  said  may  be  of  interest, 
but  how  it  is  being  said  may  be  of  wider  interest.  What  has 
been  accomplished  may  be  wonderful,  but  how  it  was  accom- 
plished may  have  greater  significance.  Were  these  big  enter- 
prises put  through  after  giving  full  consideration  to  the  rights  or 
wishes  of  the  little  fellow  who  may  have  been  affected?  Was 
he  consulted,  compensated  and  placated?  Was  he  recognized 
as  an  individual  and  given  a  hearing?     Yes,  sometimes  he  was 


SERVICE  111 

considered,  but  often  he  was  overlooked  or  ignored.  Abraham 
Lincoln  once  said  that  the  Lord  must  have  loved  the  common 
people — He  made  so  many  of  them.  It  is  the  common  people 
that  the  central  station  has  most  to  do  with,  and,  strange  as  it 
may  seem,  the  common  people  are  human,  and  like  to  be  con- 
sidered as  individuals  whenever  possible.  The  service  which 
carries  with  it  small  attentions,  small  courtesies,  small  considera- 
tions, habitually  practiced  alike  to  the  common  people  and  the 
uncommon  people,  may  result  in  prosperity  to  a  great  corpora- 
tion— and  if  omitted,  might  mean  only  an  imitation  success  or  ^ 
even  a  miserable  failure.  — 4 

In  order  to  fully  analyze  the  subject  of  service,  it  will  be  con- 
sidered from  two  angles:  first,  "  On  What  Good  Service  Depends," 
and,  second,  "What  Depends  on  Good  Service."  To  be  useful, 
any  analysis  must  be  critical  and  present  facts,  even  if  holding 
up  the  mirror  may  reflect  weaknesses  in  some  directions  and  cast 
shadows  in  others.  It  may  be  that  in  the  past  too  much  stress 
has  been  laid  on  the  side  of  the  tangible  service  at  the  expense  of 
the  intangible  side.  Not  that  the  tangible  service  is  to  be  con- 
sidered of  less  importance  than  formerly,  but  that  the  intangible 
service  should  have  at  least  equal  consideration,  and  be  treated 
more  in  detail  and  less  with  an  impatient  wave  of  the  hand,  or 
pushed  aside  with  a  mouthful  of  plausible  and  meaningless 
platitudes. 

On  What  Good  Service  Depends 

What  is  termed  "good  service"  does  not  depend  upon  any  one 
item  or  upon  any  one  branch  of  the  business.  The  proper  deliv- 
ery of  electrical  energy  depends  largely  on  human  energy  utilized 
in  the  right  direction.  Good  service  for  a  utility  company  is  a 
composite  of  the  best  in  the  organization,  embracing  every 
department  and  every  employe.  Human  energy  means  work. 
A  well-known  writer  has  said :  "The  law  of  work  is,  that  a  certain 
quantity  of  work  is  necessary  to  produce  a  certain  quantity  of 
good  of  any  kind  whatever.  If  you  want  knowledge,  you  must 
toil  for  it;  if  food,  you  must  toil  for  it;  if  pleasure,  you  must  toil 
for  it" — to  which  may  be  added,  if  you  want  to  give  good  service, 
you  must  toil  for  it.  Good  service  is  not  a  theory — it  is  concrete 
result,  produced  only  by  carefully  planned  work  throughout  an 
entire  organization.  There  are  certain  component  parts  of  ser- 
vice which  will  require  to  be  discussed  separately,  and  they  will 


112  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

now  be  referred  to,  though  not  necessarily  in  order  of  their 
importance. 

Physical  Conditions. — The  delivery  of  electrical  energy  in  the 
form  of  a  good  and  sufficient  service  means  endless  and  untiring 
effort  on  the  part  of  those  responsible  for  the  generation,  trans- 
mission and  distribution  of  the  tangible  element  in  such  service. 
It  goes  without  saying  that  there  should  be  an  ample  supply, 
close  frequency,  proper  voltage  and  assured  continuity.  To  be 
able  to  meet  such  ideals,  there  is  an  obligation  on  the  central 
station  company  to  install  the  best  type  of  equipment  and  main- 
tain it  in  the  highest  condition  of  efficiency,  from  the  pen-stock 
on  its  hydroelectric  system  and  the  fuel  reservoirs  of  its  steam 
generating  plants  to  the  premises  of  its  consumers.  Under  the 
most  favorable  conditions  interruptions  will  sometimes  occur,  and 
at  all  times  and  in  all  parts  of  a  company's  system  there  should 
be  adequate  facilities  for  prompt  restoration  of  service. 

Where  there  is  long  distance  transmission,  the  same  causes 
which  produce  "shorts"  will  frequently  interrupt  the  telephone 
service,  causing  serious  and  often  expensive  delays.  Under  such 
conditions  the  installation  of  a  wireless  system  of  communication 
to  distant  power  houses  and  switching  stations  may  be  of  great 
advantage  alike  to  the  company  and  its  consumers.  Who  can 
properly  estimate  what  an  interruption  to  service  may  mean  to 
the  people  whom  the  representatives  of  the  central  station  com- 
pany have  educated  to  use  electricity  and  to  rely  upon  it!  When 
the  system  of  such  a  company  ceases  to  operate  normally,  the 
immediate  results  are  inconvenience,  personal  and  community  loss 
and  disaster,  and  even  life  itself  may  be  at  stake.  The  bigger  the 
system  the  greater  the  consequences  to  its  consumers,  when  inter- 
ruptions occur — and  the  greater  the  necessity  for  safeguarding 
the  continuity.  Duplicate  generating  equipment,  parallel  trans- 
mission systems,  loop  or  alternative  distribution  lines  all  mean 
increased  investment,  but  is  not  some  increased  investment  justi- 
fied with  increased  responsibilities  to  supply  an  uninterrupted 
service? 

The  human  element  is  a  most  important  factor  in  maintaining 
continuity  and  shortening  uncontrollable  interruptions.  Effi- 
cient, wide-awake  operators  in  stations  and  sub-stations,  and 
careful,  cool-headed  dispatchers  can  frequently  prevent  troubles 
and  quickly  clear  away  disturbances.  Men  of  the  opposite 
type  can  easily  muddle  a  whole  system  by  losing  their  heads  in 


SERVICE  113 

an  emergency,  thereby  prolonging  interruptions  and  possibly 
causing  inconvenience  and  loss  to  the  people  of  a  great  city  or 
maybe  a  territory  embracing  half  a  state.  Because  so  much 
often  depends  upon  the  knowledge  and  discretion  of  one  man,  the 
greatest  care  should  be  given  to  the  selection  of  all  operators  hav- 
ing charge  of  important  switching  centers. 

Good  service  demands  that  all  the  plants  and  physical  prop- 
erties of  a  company  should  be  kept  in  such  condition  that  the 
public  in  general  will  be  proud  that  the  company  is  part  of  the 
community.  Such  properties  should  not  only  be  kept  scrupu- 
lously clean  and  conspicuously  tidy,  but  they  should  be  made  as 
attractive  as  is  reasonably  possible.  A  moderate  amount  of 
money  spent  in  this  direction  will  usually  be  found  productive 
of  highly  pleasing  results. 

Good  service  means  safe  installations  and  unobtrusive  con- 
nections on  consumers  premises,  and  that  care  be  exercised  to 
see  that  all  work  be  properly  done,  and  left  in  a  condition  pleasing 
to  the  eye.  The  customer  should  feel  that  he  is  relieved  by  the 
making  available  for  his  use  an  adequate  supply  of  electricity, 
when,  how  and  in  such  amounts  as  he  may  require  it. 

Rate  Schedules. — It  is  the  business  of  the  good  central  sta- 
tion company  to  cater  to  the  public  and  anticipate  its  wishes. 
Now,  if  there  is  one  thing  a  consumer  likes  to  know  more  than 
another,  it  is  what  his  service  is  costing  him  and  how  his  bill  is 
figured.  For  this  reason  rate  schedules  of  the  simplest  form  are 
the  most  desirable.  From  an  engineering  standpoint,  the  so- 
called  scientific  schedules,  where  the  rate  curve  is  supposed  to 
follow  the  cost  of  service,  are  interesting,  educational  and  valua- 
ble— and  such  schedules  may  be  used  to  advantage  in  handling 
the  larger  blocks  of  lighting,  heating  and  power  business.  But,  for 
the  ordinary  man — the  smaller  consumer — complicated  schedules 
are  mystifying  and  confusing  and  tend  to  create  the  impression 
that  they  are  framed  to  conceal  the  cost  rather  than  to  reveal  it. 

It  is  well  to  apply  the  theory  of  a  scientific  schedule  to  any 
class  of  service,  and  find  the  results  to  be  obtained — then  simplify 
the  schedule  to  an  A,  B  and  C  form,  filling  in  the  values  so  that 
the  desired  revenue  may  be  secured.  This  method  may  not 
mean  that  the  rate  to  each  consumer  willl  bear  its  exact  propor- 
tion of  the  cost  of  service,  but  by  taking  the  lean  with  the  fat,  the 
same  ultimate  results  may  be  obtained.  And  the  consumer — the 
man  who  pays  the  bill — will  be  better  pleased.     His  reasonable 


114  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

desire  will  be  satisfied — he  will  be  able  to  check  his  monthly 
account,  and  of  his  own  knowledge  will  understand  whether  or 
not  he  is  getting  all  he  is  paying  for. 

All  employes  of  a  central  station  company  who  receive  appli- 
cations or  sell  the  service  should  thoroughly  understand  the  rate 
schedule.  They  should  know  why  rates  differ  for  different 
classes  of  service.  They  should  be  able  to  point  out  the  various 
factors  which  make  rates  vary;  hours  of  use,  quantity,  on  peak 
and  off  peak,  seasonal  characteristics,  load  factor  and  other 
elements  should  be  intelligently  explained  when  necessary.  The 
average  man  cannot  understand  why  he  should  pay  a  certain  rate 
per  kilowatt-hour  for  his  lighting  service,  and  maybe  the  man 
next  door  buys  energy  off  the  same  wire  for  one-half  the  rate, 
using  it  at  the  same  time,  but  under  different  conditions.  Good 
service  means  that  employes  take  the  time  to  explain  these 
matters,  so  that  consumers  may  understand  there  is  no  mystery 
and  no  attempt  at  discrimination,  and  that  each  consumer  should 
feel  the  rate  schedule  under  which  he  is  supplied  is  the  most  favor- 
able schedule  available  for  his  particular  class  of  service. 

Meter  Reading  and  Billing. — Every  member  of  a  public 
utility  force  is  valuable  to  his  company  only  in  proportion  to  his 
ability  to  serve  the  company's  consumers.  Each  employe 
should  have  a  clear  answer  to  the  question,  "From  the  consumer's 
standpoint,  what  is  the  best  way  to  do  the  work  assigned  me?" 
Meter  readers  and  billing  clerks  do  not  command  the  highest  pay 
in  a  central  station  organization,  but  their  work  demands  that 
there  shall  be  punctuality,  accuracy  and  courtesy,  else  good  ser- 
vice is  withheld.  Instead  of  careless  boys,  the  importance  of 
meter  reading  demands  the  services  of  thoughtful  men.  Regular 
dates  for  reading  ensure  the  appearance  of  uniform  and  consistent 
consumption  when  bills  are  presented.  Accuracy  of  reading 
prevents  an  endless  amount  of  trouble  in  the  bookkeeping,  billing 
and  collecting  departments  as  well  as  irritation  to  the  consumer 
and  loss  of  prestige  to  the  company.  It  is  easy  for  a  company 
to  lose  more  in  good  will  than  it  will  save  in  salaries  by  using 
a  class  of  men  for  meter  reading  who  are  either  incompetent  or  do 
not  have  a  proper  appreciation  of  the  importance  of  their  work. 

Service  Applications. — The  patron  of  an  electric  company 
goes  to  its  office  because  he  expects  to  receive  what  he  wants  with 
celerity  and  cheerfulness.  When  an  applicant  applies  for 
service,  then  is  the  great  opportunity  for  the  company  to   be 


SERVICE  115 

placed  and  viewed  in  the  proper  light,  through  a  carefully  selected 
and  well-trained  employe.  First  impressions  are  the  ones  that 
are  most  vivid  and  persistent  in  an  applicant's  mind.  They  in- 
fluence his  entire  subsequent  ways  of  thinking.  The  employe  at 
the  application  counter  should  be  fully  informed  as  to  what  the 
applicant  is  likely  to  want.  He  should  have  the  manner  of 
interest,  no  matter  who  the  applicant  may  be.  He  should 
welcome  questions — what  may  be  a  matter  of  course  to  the 
employe  may  be  entirely  unfamihar  to  the  applicant,  and  his 
confidence  should  be  encouraged  and  invited.  With  such  a 
reception  the  prospective  consumer  finds  it  easy  to  do  business. 
Usually  when  an  application  for  service  is  received,  the  con- 
nection is  wanted  at  once,  or  in  the  very  near  future.  All  parti- 
culars should  be  carefully  set  forth  so  that  if  there  is  to  be  delay, 
the  reason  will  be  understood.  If  premises  to  be  supplied  require 
inspection  by  municipal  representative,  this  should  be  explained 
as  a  possible  cause  of  delay.  If  there  are  many  prior  applications 
or  much  work  ahead  on  account  of  which  there  may  be  delays, 
this,  with  any  other  uncontrollable  conditions,  should  be  gone 
over  in  detail.  It  is  often  likely  that  the  prospective  consumer 
makes  important  business  or  personal  arrangements  dependent 
upon  the  date  he  is  to  receive  service,  and  if  the  date  given  by  the 
employe  is  not  kept,  serious  trouble  or  inconvenience  to  the 
consumer  may  follow.  Promptness  in  supplying  service  is 
essential — but  no  promises  should  be  made,  calculated  to  please 
the  consumer  at  the  time,  which  later  cannot  be  lived  up  to. 

When  applications  for  service  are  received  it  is  fitting  time  for 
the  creation  of  an  atmosphere  that  will  convince  prospective 
consumers  that  their  money  is  not  all  the  company  wants,  nor 
that  the  selling  of  energy  is  its  only  desire.  On  the  contrary,  it 
should  be  made  evident  that  the  chief  aim  is  to  supply  such  a 
service  that  in  every  respect  and  every  reasonable  way  will  not 
only  satisfy  but  please  the  consumer. 

Educational  Responsibilities. — The  central  station  company 
that  progresses  is  the  one  that  gives  its  consumers  a  little  more — a 
little  better  service.  The  great  majority  of  people  have  only  a 
vague  conception  as  to  what  a  kilowatt-hour  is,  and  what  it  can 
be  made  to  do.  It  would  seem  that  educating  its  consumers  as 
to  what  they  may  get  out  of  their  electric  service  is  thus  giving 
them  a  little  more — a  little  better  service.  Perhaps  the  most 
practical  education  to  begin  with  is  to  instruct  consumers  regard- 


116  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

ing  the  economical  use  of  the  service  ah-eady  supplied.  A  business 
maUj  using  a  lighting  service  does  not  feel  hurt  if  a  represen- 
tative of  the  company  drops  into  his  establishment  and  makes 
practical  suggestions  as  to  how  more  light  may  be  obtained 
without  increased  expense.  If  the  merchant  is  told  that  the 
service  will  be  better,  if  a  more  scientific  distribution  were 
adopted  or  if  lamps  of  higher  efficiency  were  used  or  even  if 
present  installations  were  cleaned  and  dusted,  he  is  not  going  to 
be  offended. 

An  industrial  plant  using  power  service  may  be  wasting  energy 
every  hour  of  operation.  It  is  good  service  on  the  part  of  the 
company  to  point  out  this  waste  and  at  the  same  time  indicate  the 
best  means  to  correct  it.  Such  methods  start  consumers  investi- 
gating and  thinking  electrically.  They  soon  become  imbued 
with  the  feeling  that  the  company  aims  to  render  an  economic  as 
well  as  efficient  service.  Consequently,  when  the  time  comes 
that  a  consumer  can  use  more  energy,  he  will  use  it  eagerly  and 
pay  for  it  cheerfully.  There  should  be  a  continuous  campaign  of 
public  instruction  through  every  available  medium,  to  show  what 
electric  service  may  do,  and  the  possibilities  of  its  freer  and  more 
extended  use.  Information  should  be  sent  broadcast  that 
consumers  may  have,  without  charge,  the  expert  advice  of  the 
company's  illuminating,  power  and  heating  engineers;  that  infor- 
mation on  all  electrical  matters  in  which  the  consumer  may  be 
interested,  will  be  made  available,  and  that  the  company's 
customers  and  the  public  have  at  their  command  a  free  consulting 
service,  in  the  uses  of  electrical  energy. 

There  is  information  to  be  given  concerning  the  economical 
and  efficient  use  of  electric  devices  and  appliances  in  the  home, 
workshop,  office,  warehouse,  storeroom  and  industrial  plant  that 
would  benefit  thousands  of  consumers  on  any  central  station 
system.  Good  service  demands  that  such  information  be  dis- 
seminated, otherwise  the  company  is  not  living  up  to  its  responsi- 
bilities. Consumers  should  be  made  to  feel  that  the  company  is 
a  great  asset  in  the  business  and  private  affairs  of  the  community 
and  that  they  are  privileged  and  invited  to  consult  the  company 
on  all  electrical  matters  as  they  would  consult  their  bankers 
concerning  financial  matters. 
.^^'-^omplaints  and  Troubles. — To  a  central  station  company 
complaints  fulfill  the  same  function  as  a  safety  valve  does  to  a 
steam  boiler.     They  may  cause  considerable  noise  when  they 


SERVICE  117 

blow  off— but  they  protect  the  service.  A  company  is  weak  or 
strong  in  a  community,  depending  on  how  complaints  are  hand- 
led. Too  many  companies  have  been  satisfied  in  believing  con- 
tinuous service  is  good  service.  That  is  only  part  of  the  service, 
just  as  a  plate  of  soup  may  be  part  of  a  good  dinner,  but  it  takes 
more  than  a  plate  of  soup  to  make  a  good  dinner,  and  more  than 
the  delivery  of  energy  to  make  a  high  grade  service.  The  best 
service  yet  devised  cannot  prevent  local  disturbances,  such  as 
transformer  difficulties,  fuse  troubles,  lamp  burn-outs  and  appli- 
ance breakages.  The  quahty  of  the  service  depends  upon  how 
these  complaints  are  disposed  of.  Is  the  welfare  of  the  consumer 
the  first  consideration?  Is  a  thought  given  to  the  inconvenience 
produced  by  the  trouble,  and  is  prompt  dispatch  used  in  remov- 
ing the  cause  for  complaint?  If  there  must  be  some  delay  in 
reaching  the  trouble,  is  the  consumer  notified  as  to  the  reason? 

Troublemen  should  not  be  ordinary  men — there  should  be  men 
of  extraordinary  worth  on  trouble  duty  at  all  times.  The  men 
who  go  out  to  look  after  the  troubles  in  connection  with  the  tangi- 
ble service  can  do  much  to  help  the  company's  standing  while 
attending  to  their  duties.  A  cheerful  "Good  morning"  when 
they  call — a  word  or  two  as  to  what  they  propose  to  do — an 
explanation  when  the  work  has  been  accomplished — a  query 
if  there  is  anything  else  that  needs  attention,  and  a  polite  "Good 
day"  when  departing,  will  leave  an  excellent  impression  of  the 
man  and  of  his  company.  Under  such  conditions,  an  occasional 
interruption,  burn-out  or  drop  in  voltage,  would  not  be  noticed 
enough  to  cause  even  a  comment.  Troubles  are  often  reported 
through  what  may  appear  to  be  irregular  channels.  They  may 
be  told  to  a  collector,  to  a  meter-reader,  or  to  a  connection  crew, 
and  because  these  men  are  part  of  the  company's  force,  the  con- 
sumer assumes  the  report  will  receive  attention.  It  should  be 
the  business  of  each  employe  receiving  such  a  report  to  see  that 
it  reaches  the  department  without  delay.  If  this  is  not  done, 
then  there  is  a  distinct  neglect  of  duty  on  the  part  of  some  em- 
ploye and  an  injury  done  to  the  company  that  pays  his  salary. 

Complaints  about  bills  and  inattention  or  discourtesy  on  the 
part  of  employes  cannot  be  too  carefully  handled  or  too  closely 
investigated.  No  attempt  should  be  made  to  stifle  complaints 
or  head  them  off.  On  the  other  hand,  they  should  be  encouraged, 
listened  to  with  attention,  and  the  customer  should  feel  that  what 
he  complains  of  is  entirely  reasonable,  and  that  the  company  is 


118  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

thankful  for  the  information  and  glad  of  an  opportunity  to 
remedy  any  unsatisfactory  condition.  What  company  employes 
need  more  than  technical  knowledge  is  a  deeper  human  under- 
standing, so  that  they  may  endeavor  to  see  this  question  of  service 
through  the  customer's  eyes  rather  than  through  their  own. 
Then  the  customer  will  realize  the  company  has  a  genuine  desire 
to  please,  and  wants  his  good  will  quite  as  much  as  his  money. 
That  is  the  real  attitude — Service  First.  Under  such  conditions, 
business  becomes  more  than  business.  It  becomes  more  impor- 
tant to  please  a  customer  than  to  take  his  money — it  becomes  an 
adventure  in  human  understanding — and  ultimately  it  cannot 
fail  to  become  a  financial  success. 

In  larger  companies,  it  will  be  found  of  great  advantage  to  have 
an  officer  who  will  be  known  as  Service  Inspector  at  the  head  of  a 
service  bureau.  Complaints  should  be  grouped  into  classes,  and 
the  causes  for  each  group  should  be  analyzed,  with  the  idea  of 
applying  the  proper  remedy.  If  the  causes  are  discovered  and 
removed,  the  complaints  should  disappear  automatically.  The 
Service  Inspector  should  inspect  complaint  lists,  and  also  the 
employes  handling  them.  One  misfit  employe  in  a  complaint 
department  can  cause  more  trouble  for  a  company  in  one  day 
than  an  army  of  men  could  remedy  in  a  week.  A  man  without 
a  business  conscience  and  a  human  understanding  has  no  place 
near  a  complaint  department — the  past  is  full  of  troubles  created 
by  such  men.  They  are  fit  only  for  shoveling  coal  or  digging 
post  holes,  if  they  are  to  remain  in  the  central  station  business. 

A  public  utility  manager  cannot  always  obtain  from  the  inside 
all  he  should  know  about  the  working  of  his  organization.  Now 
and  again  the  opinion  of  an  experienced  outsider  will  be  found 
valuable.  Such  a  man  would  be  a  consultant  who  would  be 
called  in  to  go  over  a  system  as  a  physician  might  examine  a 
patient.  There  are  weak  spots  in  nearly  all  organizations,  some 
of  them  visible  only  to  the  onlooker. 

Contacts  with  Consumers. —  The  operation  of  a  direct  current 
generator  is  improved  by  increasing  the  area  of  contact  of  brushes 
on  the  commutator.  In  a  somewhat  similar  manner,  a  central 
station  company  may  improve  its  service  by  increasing  and 
enlarging  its  points  of  contact  with  all  its  consumers.  Many 
managers  do  not  seem  to  realize  the  weighty  responsibility  that 
rests  in  the  hands  of  telephone  operators,  information  clerks, 
meter-readers,  collectors,  troublemen  and  other  employes  who 


SERVICE  119 

are  constantly  meeting  the  public.  Such  employes  should  be 
carefully  dressed,  clean,  cool,  cheerful  and  contented.  Meter- 
readers  and  troublemen  would  serve  their  purpose  better  if  they 
wore  suitable  uniforms — or  at  least  had  a  distinctive  cap  and 
badge.  This  is  a  protection  to  the  consumer  and  often  prevents 
employes  being  delayed  in  their  work  because  of  lack  of 
credentials. 

In  meeting  the  company's  customers  and  the  public,  no  matter 
in  what  place,  or  for  what  purpose,  employes  should  always  have 
before  them  the  idea  that  theirs  is  a  personal  service.  Consumers 
dislike  to  be  bunched  into  classes — they  like  to  be  considered 
individually  and  personally,  and  any  other  type  of  service,  no 
matter  how  good,  falls  short  of  the  requirements.  Employes 
need  special  and  constant  training  with  that  end  in  view.  It  is 
the  personal  touch  that  wins — it  is  the  mechanical  method  that 
loses.  One  hears  of  "that  certain  something"  which  goes  with 
the  intangible  service  and  engenders  in  the  heart  of  the  customer 
a  feeling  of  confidence  in  the  company  and  its  employes,  and  of 
good  will  to  the  organization.  Well,  that  certain  or  indefinable 
something  may  now  be  defined — it  is  the  recognition  that  the 
consumer  is  human,  that  he  is  an  individual,  and  that  he  likes 
personal  consideration.  It  is  the  personal  touch.  For  this 
reason,  when  a  customer  first  receives  service,  he  likes  some  one 
to  send  him  a  letter  thanking  him  for  his  patronage  and  asking 
if  everything  in  connection  with  the  service  is  all  right.  For  like 
reason,  when  a  complaint  or  trouble  has  been  reported,  the  con- 
sumer likes  some  one  in  the  company  to  call  him  up  on  the  tele- 
phone and  inquire  if  everything  is  now  satisfactory.  It  pleases 
him  to  feel  that  his  case  was  treated  as  a  special.  For  the  same 
reason,  after  he  has  been  a  customer  for  some  time,  he  likes  to 
feel  that  some  one  in  the  company  is  keeping  in  touch  with  him, 
and  that  he  is  advised  by  letter  or  some  other  way  when  a  new 
device  or  appliance  has  been  brought  out  which  will  be  helpful 
to  him  in  his  office,  warehouse  or  home. 

In  large  companies,  occupying  extensive  territory,  the  personal 
touch  is  difficult  to  accomplish,  unless  there  are  numerous  local 
offices.  Remote  control  may  be  satisfactory  in  handling  some 
kinds  of  energy,  but  it  is  inherently  weak  when  handling  a  com- 
pany's customers.  It  is  said  that  when  a  Korean  gentleman 
entertains  a  friend,  he  designates  one  of  his  servants  to  be  in 
constant  attendance  on  the  guest.     His  particular  duty  is  to 


120  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

prostrate  himself  before  the  guest  once  every  two  hours  and 
inquire  into  the  condition  of  his  excellency's  stomach.  If  it 
were  possible  for  the  central  station  company  to  supply  a  special 
attendant  for  each  consumer,  the  condition  would  be  ideal,  but, 
of  course,  such  luxury  is  out  of  the  question.  The  next  best  thing 
is  to  keep  as  close  to  the  individual  as  circumstances  will  permit. 
In  the  various  centers  of  distribution,  local  offices  are  essential 
for  good  service.  Such  offices  should  be  well  equipped  and  able 
to  give  proper  attention  to  all  details  which  go  to  make  the  con- 
sumer contented.  There  should  be  a  responsible  head  in  each 
of  such  offices,  clothed  with  ample  authority  to  handle  all  business 
pertaining  to  service,  without  having  to  stand  off  the  customer 
by  stating  this  matter  or  that  must  be  referred  to  the  head  office. 

The  average  customer  is  not  concerned  with  the  detail  work 
of  the  serving  company.  To  him  good  service  means  getting 
what  he  wants  with  a  minimum  amount  of  annoyance  as  far  as  he 
is  concerned.  He  makes  application  for  service  and  regularly 
pays  his  bills.  Everything  between  these  points  should  be  hand- 
led by  the  various  departments  so  smoothly  that  the  customer 
does  not  require  to  give  the  matter  of  his  service  any  more 
thought.  A  good  servant  is  never  in  the  way,  but  always  on  hand 
when  needed. 

In  the  present  day,  the  attention  to  personal  appearance  is 
absolutely  necessary  if  a  man  expects  to  make  the  most  out  of  life. 
It  is  also  desirable  from  the  standpoint  of  a  utility  company  that 
its  employes  make  a  favorable  impression  at  the  points  of  contact. 
This  is  not  only  important  because  of  its  influence  on  the  self- 
respect  of  the  employes,  but  the  world  in  general  has  a  habit  of 
judging  men  by  their  personal  appearance,  and,  of  course,  of 
similarly  judging  the  companies  they  represent.  It  is  safest 
for  men  and  utility  companies  always  to  look  their  best.  Failure 
or  success  often  depends  upon  the  impression  made,  and  usually 
it  requires  only  a  little  more  thought  to  make  a  good  impression. 

Courtesy  and  Conciliation. —  Courtesy  lends  to  service  what 
the  sparkle  lends  to  the  diamond  and  the  fragrance  to  the  rose. 
No  matter  what  else  may  be  done  to  ensure  good  service,  it 
cannot  be  delivered  to  the  consumers  of  any  utility  company 
unless  accompanied  by  courteous  consideration — not  because  it  is 
good  policy  to  be  courteous,  but  because  courtesy  is  its  own 
reward.  There  is  always  time  for  courtesy  and  there  is  never  a 
moment  to  spare  for  discourtesy.     This  applies  between  man  and 


SERVICE  121 

man  under  any  circumstances — between  employer  and  employe, 
between  chief  and  subordinate,  and  between  a  corporation  and 
its  customers.  The  greater  the  man,  the  greater  should  be  the 
courtesy;  the  greater  the  company,  the  greater  the  need  for 
consideration.  In  a  central  station  company  there  is  an 
other  attribute  which  may  be  used  with  advantage  along  with 
courtesy.  It  is  something  that  is  too  little  considered  in  con- 
nection with  business,  and  yet  it  helps  to  emphasize  courtesy — 
it  is  hospitality.  In  company  offices,  too  little  attention  is  paid 
to  the  reception  consumers  receive  when  they  call  on  business. 
Employes  on  the  outside  of  the  counter,  in  the  show-room  or 
elsewhere  should  notice  visitors  when  they  enter.  Consumers 
should  see  in  the  eyes  and  in  the  attitude  of  employes  that  they 
are  welcome;  the  atmosphere  of  hospitality  should  pervade  the 
office.  A  little  effort  in  this  direction  will  produce  wonderful 
results. 

Conciliation  is  a  friend  of  courtesy,  and  means  an  effort  to 
placate  and  please  those  who  may  be  indifferent  or  antagonistic. 
Conciliation  requires  more  thought  than  courtesy,  and  sometimes 
means  a  study  of  individual  necessities.  What  purports  to  be 
an  authority  on  the  subject  of  "How  to  Win"  says — "If  you 
want  to  win  a  young  fellow,  admire  his  neckties.  If  you  want 
to  win  a  mature  man,  ask  his  advice.  If  you  want  to  win  an  old 
chap,  ask  him  what  he  eats.  To  please  a  young  woman,  praise 
her  taste  in  dress.  To  please  a  middle-aged  women,  praise  her 
taste  in  dress.  If  you  want  to  please  an  elderly  woman,  praise 
her  taste  in  dress."  At  any  rate,  people  like  to  be  pleased,  and 
there  is  a  way  to  please  and  conciliate  everyone.  A  little  experi- 
ence along  with  a  little  desire  will  point  the  way  in  each  case. 
The  Chinese  have  a  saying  that  is  worth  remembering — "If 
you  bow  at  all — bow  low."  Half  hearted,  grudging  or  stinted 
courtesy  is  a  shame,  and  is  soon  uncovered.  If  it  is  worth  while 
to  conciliate,  it  is  worth  while  doing  it  with  a  whole  heart.  The 
end  and  aim  of  it  all  is  good  service,  and  the  winning  of  good  will. 
Many  little  drops  of  water  make  a  mighty  ocean.  Many  tiny 
grains  of  sand  make  a  great  desert.  Likewise  that  intangible, 
but  invaluable  thing  called  "good  will"  is  the  result  of  thousands 
of  little  things,  each  of  which  in  itself  may  not  seem  of  great 
importance,  but  the  total  of  their  influence  on  the  public  mind 
affects  public  opinion  for  good  or  ill. 


122  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

What  Depends  on  Good  Service 

There  is  a  feeling  of  deep  satisfaction  in  the  mind  of  every 
officer  and  employe  of  a  utility  company,  who  knows  that  he  is 
connected  with  an  organization  which  is  giving  a  good  sevice 
to  the  public,  and  that  his  particular  efforts  along  the  lines  of 
efficiency  and  courtesy  have  contributed  in  obtaining  the  results 
desired.  The  real  test  of  worth  is  service,  and  to  be  able  to  stand 
the  test  is  a  source  of  inward  satisfaction.  There  is  a  certain 
joy  in  being  of  service  to  others — and  the  man  who  serves  no  one 
else  but  himself,  at  best  is  only  a  successful  failure.  But  good 
service  brings  some  tangible  rewards  which  are  of  unusual 
importance.  The  central  station  company  which  supplies  a 
service  that  is  of  the  highest  grade,  reaps  benefits  which  are  of 
immediate  value  as  well  as  of  lasting  advantage. 

Increased  Earnings. — Good  service  stimulates  business  to  a 
high  degree.  If  comsumers  feel  they  are  under  the  protection 
and  care  of  the  company,  that  the  company's  first  aim  is  service, 
then  they  are  going  to  feel  contented.  But  their  contentment 
will  not  be  of  a  negative  character.  They  will  become  enthu- 
siastic, and  enthusiasm  is  contagious.  They  will  use  the  service 
freely  and  unstintingly,  and  they  will  welcome  additional 
opportunities  to  use  more.  It  is  easy  to  do  business  and  increase 
consumption  when  there  is  confidence.  When  other  ways  and 
means  open  up  for  a  greater  use  of  electric  energy,  the  pleased 
consumer  is  not  going  to  hesitate.  He  will  say  to  the  company's 
representative  when  a  new  current  consuming  appliance  is 
shown  him,  "If  you  say  I  should  have  it,  then  send  it  along.  I 
rely  upon  you." 

It  is  said  the  difference  between  results  and  consequences  is 
that  results  are  what  you  expect  and  consequences  are  what  you 
get.  In  the  central  station  business  where  there  is  good  service, 
no  chances  are  taken  as  to  the  character  of  the  results  which  will 
accrue.  There  will  be  an  ever-increasing  number  of  consumers 
to  serve,  and  existing  consumer  will  make  ever-increasing 
demands  for  more  service.  Such  a  condition  not  only  means  a 
growing  volume  of  new  business  each  year,  but  greater  earnings 
from  present  investment.  With  greater  revenues,  there  should 
be  greater  profits,  and  again  it  becomes  evident  that  "He  profits 
most  who  serves  best. " 

Public  Good  Will. — It  must  not  be  overlooked  that  in  any  busi- 
ness it  takes  two — the  server  and  the  served — to  produce  good 
service.     When  a  central  station  company  asks  its  consumers  to 


SERVICE  123 

assist  the  company,  by  means  of  information,  criticisms  and  sug- 
gestions, to  improve  its  service,  and  when  consumers  reahze  that 
such  suggestions  are  thankfully  received  and  adopted  if  practicable, 
then  something  happens — and  that  something  is  that  public 
sentiment  is  being  formed  which  will  be  useful  to  that  company 
later  on.  The  company's  right  to  exist  comes  from  the  public, 
and  what  the  public  can  confer  it  can  also  withdraw.  Public 
sentiment  controls  the  ultimate  destiny  of  every  utility  company, 
and  the  value  of  the  good  will  of  the  public  cannot  be  easily 
measured.  A  central  station  company  may  enjoy  a  monopoly — 
but  service  should  always  be  as  high  grade  under  a  monopoly  as 
if  strenuous  competition  existed. 

Under  conditions  of  constantly  improving  service,  the  com- 
pany can  ask  nothing  reasonable  from  the  public  which  the  public 
will  not  cheerfully  grant.  A  new  franchise  may  be  needed — rate 
increases  may  be  necessary — and  even  tolerance  with  a  restricted 
service  may  be  asked — and  the  public,  knowing  the  character 
of  the  company  and  the  standing  of  the  men  who  control  its 
destinies,  will  say,  "It  is  our  company  and  to  our  interest  that 
such  reasonable  requests  be  granted."  To  some  this  may  seen 
an  altruistic  condition  not  possible  to  obtain.  But  it  is  possible 
and  entirely  practicable.  Such  a  condition  cannot  be  born  in  a 
day — but  many  days  of  untiring  effort  to  supply  the  right  kind 
of  service,  coupled  with  a  constant  thought  for  the  necessities, 
desires  and  preferences  of  the  individuals,  will  eventually  bring 
it  about.  Such  a  service  cannot  fail  to  win  and  hold  the  con- 
fidence and  good  will  of  consumers,  who,  after  all,  largely  make 
up  that  same  public  which  is  so  often  feared  and  dreaded. 

Financial  Advantages. — Every  public  utility  company  must 
have  money  to  carry  on  its  business,  and  no  company  subject 
to  regulations  can  finance  its  requirements  out  of  earnings. 
Consequently,  each  company  needing  money  must  find  a  market 
for  its  securities,  either  at  home  in  its  own  territory,  or  abroad 
in  the  great  money  markets  of  the  land.  In  either  case,  the 
local  standing  of  a  company  is  closely  scrutinized.  The  scrutiny 
includes  such  questions  as,  "What  kind  of  physical  service  is 
supplied?'  "How  does  it  stand  with  the  officials  of  regulating 
bodies?"  "What  are  its  future  prospects?'  "What  can  be  said 
about  public  confidence  and  good  will?"  A  utility  company  that 
supplies  good  service,  including  all  that  the  words  properly  imply, 
cannot  proceed  on  its  career  entirely  unnoticed.  It  policies  and 
methods  are  known  to  the  banker  and  broker  in  the  money 


124  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

centers,  and  through  them  to  individual  investors.  And  locally, 
such  a  company  is  well  known  to  its  consumers  and  the  public. 
It  is  a  natural  thing  for  a  pleased  consumer  to  say,  "I  like  the 
way  the  Cascade  Power  Company  does  business.  I'll  invest 
in  some  of  its  securities. "  And  he  does  so  when  the  opportunity 
offers.  The  stranger,  visiting  a  community  often  asks:  "What 
is  a  good  investment  hereabouts?"  And  the  local  man,  proud 
of  his  company,  tells  the  story  of  the  high  grade  management  and 
unexcelled  service  of  the  Cascade  Power  Company.  It  is  not 
luck  that  such  a  company  meets  with  success  in  disposing  of  its 
stocks  and  bonds.  It  is  because  some  men  have  been  working 
for  years,  with  keen  eyes  and  strong  purpose — and  their  object 
and  aim  have  been  "Service  First."  With  such  an  aim,  with 
such  an  object,  there  is  no  element  of  chance,  for  it  will  follow, 
as  the  night  the  day,  that  success  and  profit  must  eventually 
be  at  their  command. 

Prosperity  of  Territory  Served. — The  modern  central  station 
company  should  be  the  pulsating  heart  of  the  territory  which  it 
serves,  and  its  distribution  lines  should  be  the  veins  and  arteries 
that  supply  vigor,  energy,  and  life  to  the  community.  Every 
home,  every  business,  every  workshop,  and  every  industry  should 
be  dependent  on  the  central  station  for  their  service.  Does  it 
not  seem,  therefore,  that  the  electric  service  should  be  ideal  in 
every  respect?  Let  it  be  supposed  that  the  tangible  service 
were  completely  discontinued  for  one  whole  day.  The  energies 
of  the  entire  community  would  then  become  paralyzed — and 
where  there  was  action  there  would  be  inaction;  where  there  was 
cheerfulness,  there  would  be  despondency;  and  where  there  was 
hope,  there  would  be  despair.  Why?  Because  there  is  nothing 
available  to  take  the  place  of  such  a  service  if  lost.  Everything 
and  everybody  must  mark  time  until  it  returns.  Under  such 
conditions  the  electric  service  can  never  be  too  good. 

The  company  which,  through  its  representatives,  has  pictured 
the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  uses  of  electricity,  has 
invited  and  solicited  business,  and  has  built  up  a  load  based 
upon  promises  of  service,  has  assumed  a  tremendous  responsi- 
bility. The  greater  the  company's  responsibility,  the  greater 
and  better  should  be  the  company's  service  in  all  its  details. 
If  that  service  fails,  either  in  its  tangible  or  intangible  qualities, 
for  any  controllable  reason,  then  that  utility  companj^  becomes  a 
delinquent,  and  may  be  branded  as  unfaithful  to  its  trust.  There 
must  be  an  adequate  and  liberal  service,  generous  in  all  its  details 


SERVICE  125 

and  without  any  semblance  of  discrimination  to  the  community 
as  a  whole,  and  to  each  individual  in  particular.  The  prosperity 
of  the  territory  served  by  any  central  station  company  absolutely 
depends  upon  the  quality  of  the  electric  service  supplied,  and 
the  better  the  service,  and  the  more  advantages  it  offers,  the 
greater  should  be  the  properity. 

Unlimited  Possibilities. — Just  as  long  as  there  is  a  service  to 
be  supplied,  just  so  long  will  there  be  possibilities  for  improving 
service.  Service  is  distinctly  progressive.  What  was  good 
service  one  year  ago,  stands  a  chance  of  being  considered  ordinary 
service  today,  and  what  was  rated  ordinary  service  a  year  ago 
may  possibly  be  considered  poor  service  tomorrow.  Through 
the  efforts  of  thoughtful  inventors  and  energetic  engineers, 
the  tangible  service  has  shown  constant  improvement.  The 
intangible  service  should  also  improve,  through  close  study  of  the 
needs  and  preferences  of  the  community,  the  adoption  of  advanc- 
ing methods,  and  the  practice  of  discernment  in  considering  the 
personal  equation  when  serving  the  individual.  The  aim  of  the 
utility  company  should  ever  be,  not  how  little  may  be  offered, 
but  how  much  can  be  given.  Is  the  question  asked,  "What  are 
the  limitations  to  good  service?"  The  echoes  from  past  experi- 
ence, coupled  with  the  call  of  the  future,  supply  the  answer — 
"There  are  no  limitations."  Good  service  will  yet  embrace 
many  attributes  heretofore  omitted,  overlooked  and  for  the 
present  undreamed. 

Of  necessity,  all  progressive  central  station  men  must  be 
students,  with  many  difficulties  to  ponder  and  many  problems  to 
solve.  But  the  solved  problems  of  today  should  become  the 
stepping-stones  that  lead  to  the  greater  achievements  of  to- 
morrow. With  this  in  mind,  the  constructive  message  sent  some 
eighteen  hundred  year  ago  to  a  people  called  the  Philippians,  is 
suggested  for  thoughtful  consideration : 

"Whatsoever  things  are  true. 
Whatsoever  things  are  honest. 
Whatsoever  things  are  just. 
Whatsoever  things  are  pure, 
Whatsoever  things  are  lovely. 
Whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report; 
If  there  be  any  virtue, 
If  there  be  any  praise, 
Think  on  these  things. " 


CHAPTER  XV 

CUMULATIVE  COOPERATION 

There  are  some  words  in  the  Enghsh  language  whose  original 
meanings  have  changed  somewhat  in  the  course  of  time,  and  it 
would  seem  as  if  the  word  "cooperation"  were  one  of  this  class. 
The  modern  definition  of  cooperation  is  "the  act  of  laboring  to- 
gether with  others  for  a  common  end." 

The  Cooperative  Society 

The  pioneer  of  cooperation  in  Great  Britain  and  America  was 
a  man  named  Robert  Owen,  and  his  type  of  cooperation  bordered 
on  communism.  Cooperation  has  always  consisted  of  two  kinds — 
simple  cooperation,  when  individuals  strive  to  help  each  other  in 
the  same  employment,  and  complex  cooperation,  when  they 
attempt  to  do  so  in  different  employments.  In  Robert  Owen's 
time,  about  one  hundred  years  ago,  there  were  great  philanthropic 
ideas  advanced  along  the  lines  of  community  cooperation,  many 
of  them  meeting  with  failure,  and  the  best  meeting  with  only  a 
limited  success.  During  the  nineteenth  century  the  cooperative 
society  spread  to  France,  Germany  and  America,  but  did  not 
take  hold  in  the  same  manner  it  did  in  Britain.  In  the  latter 
country  the  most  notable  and  perhaps  the  most  successful  experi- 
ment was  in  Rochdale,  which  has  been  called  "the  Mecca  of 
cooperation."  There  they  developed  what  is  termed  "coopera- 
tion in  production  and  cooperation  in  distribution,"  the  latter 
being  designed  to  save  profits  by  cutting  out  the  middle  man. 
In  the  United  States,  cooperation  of  the  community  type  like 
Rochdale  has  made  little  progress.  There  has  been  a  great 
development  of  mutual  insurance  and  building  and  loan  societies, 
which  are  examples  of  cooperative  action.  Cooperative  distri- 
bution has  attained  no  marked  success,  and  cooperative  produc- 
tion still  less.  Profit  sharing  is  the  nearest  approach  to  this 
principle  in  manufacturing  concerns.  Cooperation  in  the  last 
century  had  more  or  less  of  a  concrete  form,  but  today  in  the 
public  utility  business  it  is  dealt  with  more  in  the  abstract  and 

126 


CUMULATIVE  COOPERATION  127 

might  best  be  termed  "The  Cooperative  Spirit."  The  coopera- 
tive spirit  today  does  not  aim  at  cutting  out  any  wing  of  an 
industry,  the  middle  man  or  any  other  man,  but  rather  aims  at 
helping  each  wing  properly  to  fulfill  its  particular  function. 

The  Cooperative  Spirit 

It  was  Elbert  Hubbard  who  said,  "The  valuable  man  in  any 
business,  is  the  man  who  can  and  will  cooperate  with  other  men. 
Men  succeed  only  as  they  utilize  the  services  and  ideas  of  other 
men."  The  spirit  of  cooperation  is  a  vital  element  in  every  suc- 
cessful business;  it  tends  to  the  fullest  development  of  the  indi- 
vidual and  necessarily  of  the  business  as  a  whole,  and  fosters  a 
feeling  that  gives  a  man  a  joy  in  his  work.  The  spirit  of  coopera- 
tion means  not  only  acting  or  laboring  together  to  a  common  end, 
which  may  be  more  or  less  mechanical,  but  it  means  putting  the 
soul  into  the  work;  all  having  at  heart  the  one  purpose,  thinking, 
planning  and  dreaming  it,  as  well  as  working  for  it,  cheerfully 
and  enthusiastically.  That  is  cooperation  in  its  highest  form, 
and  there  are  few  businesses  and  fewer  industries  that  have  yet 
developed  the  cooperative  spirit  to  such  a  degree.  Yet  it  is 
entirely  possible  to  instill  this  vital  force  into  an  organization  and 
to  foster  and  maintain  it.  It  may  be  termed  an  intangible  force, 
like  personality,  on  which  it  depends  to  a  considerable  extent. 
In  many  organizations  in  the  public  utility  business,  little  or  no 
attention  has  been  paid  to  the  development  of  the  spirit  of 
cooperation  in  the  past,  and  such  organizations  have  suffered  in 
consequence.  It  is  fast  becoming  a  recognized  factor  in  economy 
— confidence  and  strength  from  the  standpoint  of  the  progressive 
management,  and  of  development,  opportunity  and  advancement 
from  that  of  the  thinking  employe.  In  a  large  organization  the 
spirit  of  cooperation  means  team  work  and  something  more.  It 
is  intangible  and  yet  a  real  force,  as  is  the  college  spirit  to  a  uni- 
versity, esprit  de  corps  to  a  regiment,  civic  pride  to  a  municipality, 
and  patriotism  to  a  nation. 

In  applying  the  term  "cumulative  cooperation"  to  the  central 
station  industry,  the  idea  is  to  show  the  advantages  to  be  derived 
from  "heaping  together"  the  results  to  be  obtained  from  develop- 
ing the  spirit  of  cooperation  in  the  various  branches,  so  that  the 
industry  as  a  whole  may  feel  its  beneficial  effects.  It  seems 
advisable  to  start  with  the  individual  employe  and  first  discuss 
the  subject  of 


128  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

Cooperation  with  One's  Self 

On  the  face  of  it,  self  cooperation  may  sound  paradoxical.  It 
takes  two  to  make  a  quan-el,  and  some  may  think  at  least  two  to 
practice  cooperation.  On  the  other  hand,  there  is  a  verse  in 
the  Bible  which  reads,  "But  when  thou  doest  alms,  let  not  thy 
right  hand  know  what  thy  left  hand  doeth."  It  may  be  granted 
that  this  is  metaphorical,  but  if  it  is  not  possible  to  segregate  part 
of  one's  self  for  one  purpose,  it  is  surely  possible  to  cooperate 
with  all  parts  of  one's  makeup  for  another  purpose.  An  employe 
of  a  utility  company  may  have  decided  talents  along  certain 
lines.  He  may  have  the  very  qualities  which  are  needed  for 
important  positions  ahead — but  he  may  be  handicapped  by 
himself.  If  he  is  careless  about  his  personal  appearance,  if  his 
clothes  are  untidy,  his  shoes  down  at  the  heel,  his  collar  soiled 
or  his  hat  dirty,  then  he  is  condemning  himself  in  the  eyes  of 
others  who  are  observing  him.  Such  indifference  is  not  self 
cooperation.  Again,  in  the  daily  round  of  his  work,  is  he  prompt, 
or  is  he  tardy?  Is  he  at  his  desk  at  the  appointed  hour  in  the 
morning,  and  after  lunch  is  he  back  at  the  hour  expected?  Does 
he  waste  the  company's  time?  Does  he  keep  other  employes 
awaiting  his  appearance  in  order  to  transact  the  company's 
business?  If  he  does,  then  he  is  doing  the  reverse  of  cooperating 
with  himself.  Others  are  noting  his  movements  and  they  won't 
forget  when  promotions  are  under  consideration.  His  company 
has  framed  certain  rules  and  regulations  for  its  employes  to  go 
by.  Does  he  go  by  them,  or  "go-by"  them?  If  the  rules  are 
disregarded,  then  he  is  not  cooperating  with  himself.  Further, 
in  transacting  business  with  the  company's  patrons,  does  the 
employe  always  treat  these  patrons  with  proper  consideration? 
Is  his  voice  gentle,  attitude  conciliating  and  his  words  courteous? 
If  not,  then  there  is  a  distict  absence  of  self  cooperation.  Is  he 
doing  his  best  at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances,  in  his 
business  and  in  his  home,  during  his  work  and  at  his  play?  Does 
he  hold  that  inward  desire  to  do  what  is  right  and  appear  to 
the  greatest  advantage?  Then,  if  he  does,  he  has  acquired  the 
spirit  of  self  cooperation,  a  valuable  asset  on  which  he  will  some 
day  realize  substantial  dividends. 

Cooperation  Among  Employes 

To  accomplish  the  greatest  possible  results,  employes  as  indivi- 
duals must  cooperate  with  each  other.     Business  without  coop- 


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CUMULATIVE  COOPERATION  129 

eration   is   like   sound   without  harmony, — it  stunts  individual 
character,  strangles  ability  and  exaggerates  difficulties.     It  is  a 
tremendous  handicap  for  men  to  work  under  such  conditions. 
Take  the  volume  of  business  being  handled  by  a  force  in  which 
lack  of  harmony  is  conspicuous — put  in  the  hands  of  an  organiza- 
tion that  is  working  in  the  right  spirit  and  all  the  leaks  and  waste 
that  accompany  dicord  will  at  once  be  converted  into  savings  of 
time  and  money.     The  spirit  of  cooperation  is  just  as  important 
between  the  different  departments  of  an  organization  as  it  is 
between  the  different  workers  in  each  department.     Each  indi- 
vidual and  each  department  has  its  functions.     The  manner  of 
doing  the  work  finally  means  a  success  or  failure  of  the  whole 
concern.     Of  what  ultimate  good  to  himself  or  to  the  organiza- 
tion is  a  well  balanced  man  in  a  well  run  department,  if  the  other 
members  and  departments  making  up  the  organization  cannot 
or  will  not  cooperate  with  each  other  and  work  for  the  benefit  of 
all?     In  the  long  run,  a  man  is  going  to  get  just  about  what  he  is 
entitled    to — that    is,    what    he  earns.     If  he  works  selfishly, 
which  is  short-sightedly,  and  cannot  cooperate  with  his  fellow 
employes,  and  does  not  consider  the  interests  of  the  organization 
as  a  whole,  he  will  not  go  very  far.     On  the  other  hand,  the  man 
who  earnestly  cooperates  with  his  fellows,  works  loyally  for  the 
good  of  his  company,  which  is  his  good  also,  will  find  before  long 
that  the  net  results  of  his  work  will  show  for  themselves.     Such  a 
man  is  a  credit  and  a  profit  to  an  organization — and  his  future 
is  assured.     There  never  was  a  time  in  the  history  of  this  country 
when  there  was  so  much  industrial  unrest  and  so  much  vague 
dissatisfaction  among  workers.     There  seems  to  be  a  recklessness 
among  wage  earners  that  has  no  parallel.     They  need  guidance 
and  leadership  of  the  right  character  more  than  anything  else. 
One  of  the  chief  duties  of  an  executive  is  to  do  everything  that 
will  help  to  develop  this  spirit  of  loyal,  hearty,  enthusiastic 
cooperation,  from  the  heads  of  departments  down  to  the  newest 
employe,  filling  the  smallest  position.     It  can  be  done  by  taking 
a  live  personal  interest  in  their  welfare,  and  encouraging  them 
to  improve  their  present  conditions  and  future  prospects  by 
cultivating  the  spirit  of  cooperation,  and  getting  out  of  it  the 
inherent  benefits  which  accrue  to  those  who  believe  in  it.     Man- 
agers of  today  and  some  of  the  future  must  have  the  faculty  to 
manage  men — which  is  a  more  difficult  problem  than  operating 
a  motor  or  running  a  generator.     The  human  element  in  industry 

9 


130  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

is  still  larger  than  the  mechanical  element,  and  managers,  super- 
intendents, and  foremen  often  lose,  or  maybe  deliberately  throw 
away  their  largest  asset  by  failing  to  create  and  develop  that 
spirit  of  cooperation,  that  friendly  relationship  with  subordinates, 
which  makes  for  the  highest  success.  Organizations  and  business 
enterprises  seem  to  grow  bigger  as  the  years  go  by,  but  personality 
is  also  increasing  in  value.  The  executive  or  manager  of  today, 
to  be  successful,  must  through  his  personality  create  a  spirit 
of  cooperation  and  loyalty — not  to  himself  alone,  but  to  the  great 
organization  of  which  he  for  the  time  being  is  the  head,  and  of 
which  his  lieutenants  are  important  parts.  Such  an  organization 
can  accomplish  anything  in  reason.  A  great  ironmaster  once 
said,  ''Take  away  all  our  factories  and  trade,  our  avenues  of 
transportation,  our  money,  but  leave  me  an  organization,  and  in 
four  years  I  shall  have  re-established  myself."  No  man  could 
talk  with  such  assurance  if  the  true  spirit  of  cooperation  did  not 
permeate  his  organization  from  top  to  bottom. 

Cooperation  with  the  Industry 

In  what  is  termed  the  electrical  industry,  there  are  numerous 
branches  each  presumably  fulfilling  its  own  particular  function. 
This  condition  does  not  prevail  with  other  utilities  such  as  water, 
gas  and  telephone  companies,  except  to  a  limited  extent.  The 
principal  segregations  in  the  electrical  industry  are,  the  central 
station,  the  manufacturer,  the  jobber,  the  dealer  and  the  con- 
tractor— each  branch  has  a  mission  of  its  own,  but  all  are  tied  in 
together — distinct  as  the  billows,  yet  one  as  the  sea.  However, 
if  one  branch  of  the  industry  does  not  properly  fulfill  its  function 
then  the  work  must  be  done  by  one  or  more  of  the  other  branches. 
When  the  business  of  distributing  electrical  energy  first  started, 
it  was  all  in  the  hands  of  the  central  station,  which  was  then 
distributor,  manufacturer,  contractor,  dealer  and  everything 
else.  As  the  business  developed,  the  other  branches  sprang  into 
existence  and  the  central  station  operators  were  glad  to  concen- 
trate on  the  production  and  distribution  of  electrical  energy. 
But  where  and  when  the  other  branches  did  not  keep  pace  with 
their  growing  responsibihties,  then  the  central  station  had  still 
to  perform  the  functions  of  the  weaker  or  lagging  branches.  In 
some  parts  of  the  country  there  were,  and  there  are  today,  many 
dissensions  among  the  various  branches  of  the  industry.  One 
branch  will  claim  the  other  is  eating  into  its  business  and  another 


CUMULATIVE  COOPERATION  131 

branch  will  claim  that  its  neighbor  is  not  doing  its  duty.  In 
some  localities  conditions  were  strained  to  a  point  of  open  war. 
It  has  been  said  that  before  cooperation  comes  in  any  line  there 
is  always  competition  pushed  to  a  point  that  threatens  des- 
truction and  promises  chaos;  then  to  avert  ruin,  men  look  for  a 
better  way,  a  plan  that  conserves  and  economizes,  and  this 
better  way  is  found  in  cooperation.  Some  attempts  have  been 
made  at  so-called  cooperation,  when  the  plans  really  spelled 
coercion.  Men  were  threatened  instead  of  persuaded,  and  as  a 
natural  sequence,  such  combinations  were  short-lived  and  the 
last  state  was  worse  than  the  first.  There  is  no  industry  in  which 
cooperation  can  be  made  so  effectual  as  in  the  electrical,  but  the 
union  must  have  the  real  spirit  and  not  the  imitation.  There  is 
a  positive  cooperation  and  a  negative  cooperation.  A  farmer 
was  one  day  driving  a  team  of  horses  attached  to  a  cultivator,  and 
a  stranger  stopped  to  look  on.  "Your  horses  work  well  to- 
gether," said  the  stranger.  "Yes,"  rephed  the  farmer,  "one  is 
willing  to  do  all  the  work,  and  the  other  is  willing  to  let  him. " 
This  is  a  sample  of  negative  cooperation  which  is  not  infrequently 
seen  where  others  are  struggling  to  make  the  positive  or  real 
cooperation  a  success.  Cooperation  in  the  electrical  industry 
should  be  definite  and  simple;  simple,  because  it  should  not 
involve  methods  that  may  be  termed  experimental,  freaky  or 
untried,  and  definite,  because  the  end  to  be  looked  for  is  a  better 
understanding,  through  consistent  and  persistent  educational 
endeavors,  between  the  different  branches  of  the  industry,  and 
between  the  individuals  who  make  up  the  different  branches. 
No  attempts  should  be  made  to  dictate  to  any  individual  or 
branch  of  the  business  what  must  be  done.  No  one  part  of  the 
industry  should  say  to  one  neighbor,  "Thou  shalt  not!"  or  to 
another,  "You  must  not!"  and  no  one  should  be  threatened, 
intimidated  or  cajoled.  On  the  other  hand,  every  reasonable 
effort  should  be  made  to  educate  and  inform  each  branch  of  the 
industry  as  to  how  its  own  particular  business  may  be  more 
efficiently  handled,  and  a  constant  effort  made  to  assist  each 
branch  more  intelligently  to  understand  some  of  the  problems  and 
perplexities  of  the  other  branches.  Real  cooperation  is  an  appeal 
to  the  intelligence  of  the  individual  rather  than  an  appeal  to  the 
old-time  prejudices  of  any  group.  It  should  be  the  crystallization 
of  a  desire  to  have  each  branch  of  the  business  recognize  the 
responsibilities  it  owes  to  the  other  branches  of  the  industry,  and 


132  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

to  teach  the  individual  that,  after  all,  he  may  to  some  extent  be 
his  brother's  keeper.  Discord  in  the  electrical  industry  stays 
development,  for  there  cannot  be  a  canker  in  one  branch  without 
affecting  the  whole.  On  the  other  hand,  true  cooperation  benefits 
all.  The  contractor  gets  more  orders  on  a  profitable  basis  and 
is  able  to  accumulate  capital  and  extend  his  business.  The 
work  of  the  contractor  means  that  the  dealer  sells  more  supplies 
and  appliances.  The  dealer  looks  to  the  jobber  to  meet  his 
increased  demands.  The  jobber  sends  larger  requisitions  on  the 
manufacturer,  and  with  it  all,  the  central  station  adds  more 
consumers  and  sells  more  electric  energy.  Such  cooperation 
means  harmony  and  advancement.  It  brings  about  cooperative 
methods  for  displaying  and  merchandising,  cooperative  advertis- 
ing, and  cooperative  distribution  of  educational  literature  and 
electrical  knowledge.  But  with  it  all,  there  should  be  modesty 
and  appreciation.  In  the  past  the  thing  that  has  usually  made 
cooperation  successful  has  been  a  moderate  amount  of  adversity. 
Too  great  prosperity  has  wrecked  many  well  intentioned  coopera- 
tive schemes.  Prosperity  is  apt  to  make  men  reckless  and  forget- 
ful of  their  obligations  to  others,  but  in  the  electrical  industry, 
cooperation,  if  properly  guided,  should  only  be  strengthened  and 
cemented  by  the  prosperity  of  the  individuals  who  are  its 
beneficiaries. 

Cooperation    with  the  Community 

A  mans'  value  to  the  community  in  which  he  lives  lies  in  his 
ability  to  think  individually  and  act  collectively.  A  man  con- 
nected with  a  public  utility  cannot  be  of  proper  value  to  himself 
and  cannot  properly  advance  the  interests  of  the  organization 
with  which  he  is  connected  unless  he  cooperates  with  the  com- 
munity wherein  he  dwells  and  has  his  business  connections.  In 
all  civic  organizations,  such  as  boards  of  trade,  chambers  of 
commerce,  merchants'  associations  and  business  men's  clubs,  the 
live  public  utility  man  should  be  a  conspicuous  figure.  In  the 
construction  of  the  modern  automobile,  there  is  the  engine,  the 
running  gear,  and  the  tonneau.  In  all  civic  organizations  like 
those  referred  to,  there  are  the  parts  to  correspond  with  the 
automobile.  First,  the  executive,  which  represents  the  motive 
power  and  resembles  the  engine;  second,  the  men  who  do  the 
work  and  carry  the  load,  which  corresponds  with  the  running 
gear  of  the  auto;  third,  the  men  who  are  carried  along,  but  who 


CUMULATIVE  COOPERATION  133 

do  nothing  but  look  pleasant.  These  correspond  to  the  tonneau 
of  the  car.  Now  the  public  utility  man  should  be  a  hustler  and 
faithfully  represent  the  progressive  character  of  his  business. 
His  standing  in  the  community  will  usually  reflect  the  standing 
of  his  company.  In  his  connection  with  civic  bodies,  he  should 
not  be  one  of  those  who  always  ride  in  the  tonneau  and  do 
nothing.  He  should  be  alive  and  aggressive,  and  he  will  learn 
that  both  himself  and  his  company  will  be  the  gainers  by  his 
brushing  up  against  and  cooperating  with  the  other  men.  In 
local  politics,  however,  the  public  utility  man  should  not  be 
aggressive,  otherwise  he  may  injure  his  value  to  his  company  and 
maybe  impair  its  standing.  The  utility  man  should  in  all 
political  affairs  take  no  public  stand  unless  in  a  crisis.  Political 
parties  come  and  go,  but  the  central  station  business  goes  on 
continually.  He  should  hold  his  own  views  as  a  private  citizen 
and  vote  and  act  accordingly.  Communities  need  the  true 
spirit  of  cooperation  among  their  citizens  for  protection  and 
advancement.  Men  cannot  work  together,  save  for  the  common 
good,  and  active  cooperation  in  local  affairs  will  benefit  the  indivi- 
duals and  the  business  interests  of  those  locally  established. 

Courting  Success 

The  greatest  game  in  the  world  is  success  and  every  man  who 
is  a  man  is  playing  his  cards  to  win.  Success  is  made  up  of  many 
attributes  and  no  one  element  in  itself  can  assure  it.  The  annals 
of  successful  men  clearly  demonstrate  that  all  such  men  knew  the 
value  of  cooperation — could  cooperate  themselves  and  always 
picked  assistants  who  understood  the  meaning  of  the  word.  The 
young  man  who  will  commence  by  cooperating  with  himself  and 
carry  the  spirit  of  cooperation  in  all  his  contacts  with  his  fellows, 
will  gradually  bind  success  unto  himself  "with  hoops  of  steel", 
and  will  eventually  reap  the  desired  fruits  of  cumulative 
cooperation. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
OVER-COMPLACENCY 

More  than  a  Century  ago  a  Noted  Frenchman  Declared. — 
"Complacency  is  a  coin  by  the  aid  of  which  all  the  world  can,  for 
want  of  essential  means,  pay  its  bills  in  society.  It  is  necessary, 
finally,  that  it  may  lose  nothing  of  its  merits,  to  associate  judg- 
ment and  prudence  with  it." 

One  dictionary  defines  the  word  complacency  as  "tranquil 
satisfaction  of  mind  and  heart"  .  .  .  It  will  be  observed  there- 
fore that  complacency  is  not  necessarily  a  reprehensible  attribute, 
but  it  is  over-complacency — the  complacency  without  judgment 
and  prudence — that  requires  attention  and  frequently  correction. 

In  the  public  utility  business  in  America  during  the  past  two 
or  three  years  there  has  been  a  change  of  front  in  some  particulars. 
In  the  earlier  days  of  the  development  of  the  electrical  industry 
and  for  a  long  period  subsequently  the  central-station  company 
was  compelled  to  educate,  illustrate,  demonstrate,  advertise 
and  solicit  in  order  to  sell  electric  service.  Today  with  many 
companies  the  conditions  are  entirely  changed,  and  in  some 
instances  the  motions  have  been  completely  reversed.  Just  at 
the  time  when  the  persistent  labor  of  years  was  beginning  to 
bear  its  best  fruit,  for  justifiable  reasons,  the  supply  of  surplus 
energy  became  diminished  and  in  some  instances  gave  out 
entirely.  Applications  for  service  poured  in  faster  than  ever 
before.  "Prospects"  that  once  were  coy  and  had  to  be  coaxed 
even  to  consider  the  proposals  made  seemed  to  change  overnight 
and  became  friendly  and  familiar,  and  "prospects"  that  had  been 
almost  persuaded  to  change  to  electric  drive  quite  suddenly 
became  insistent  in  their  demands  and  talked  of  their  prior 
rights,  because  of  offers  previously  made  to  them.  The  managers 
of  power  companies,  on  their  part,  who  once  were  worried  how 
they  could  get  new  business  began  to  worry  how  they  could  keep 
new  business  from  coming  in  so  rapidly. 

134 


OVER-COMPLACENCY  135 

The  Offensive  Air  of  Superiority 

Of  course,  this  was  considered  a  temporary  condition — one 
that  would  last  only  until  additional  funds  or  more  power  might 
be  available — but  it  lasted  long  enough  to  bring  about  an  undesir- 
able attitude  in  some  directions.  Big  and  little  applicants, 
going  into  a  power  company's  office  in  good  faith  to  ask  for 
electric  service,  were  often  received  by  employes  and  frequently 
by  managers  with  an  air  of  superiority  as  much  as  to  say,  "Our 
time  has  come  and  you  may  now  await  our  pleasure."  Then, 
with  a  "why  should  we  worry?"  tone  and  attitude,  the  anxious 
would-be  customer  was  told  that  all  the  present  supply  of  power 
had  been  sold,  that  there  were  three  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  sixty-five  applications  ahead  of  his,  that  he  had  better  get 
busy  and  patch  up  his  old  plant  and  apply  again  for  service  at  a 
later  date,  and  if  the  Fates  were  kind  maybe  he  would  get  it. 
Unfavorable  comments  on  the  power  shortage  situation  in  local 
papers  were  allowed  to  appear  without  any  attention  being  given 
to  them  or  the  real  causes  of  the  embarrassing  conditions  being 
stated.  No  anxiety  on  the  power  company's  part  to  explain 
assist,  modify  or  ameliorate  the  troubles — just  an  attitude  of 
exaggerated  complacency. 

During  this  period  there  has  accumulated  a  real  danger  to  the 
utility  company,  and  a  reaction  may  be  brewing  that  will  strike 
at  its  very  existence  or  at  least  impair  its  standing,  usefulness 
and  earning  power.  The  public  has  a  long  memory — particu- 
larly for  real  or  fancied  wrongs — and  when  the  opportune  time 
arrives  it  will  recall  the  over-complacent  attitude  of  the  com- 
pany's representatives  at  a  period  when  a  little  interest,  anxiety, 
courtesy  and  consideration  would  have  been  more  acceptable.  If 
the  rough  edges  of  some  of  the  spoken  words  had  been  trimmed 
off,  it  would  have  left  a  better  feeling — and  there  would  be  fewer 
hurts  and  scars  to  be  healed  later.  Too  much  complacency  on 
the  part  of  employees  is  irritating  to  a  utility  company's  cus- „j 
tomers  and  also  to  the  public.  Persistence  in  this  attitude  should  1 
likewise  be  irritating  to  the  responsible  executives  and  managers^ 
of  the  utility  company.  Complacency  is  a  twin  sister  of  apathy 
and  a  near  relative  of  contentment,  and  contentment  often 
means  stagnation.  The  managers  of  utility  companies  are 
trustees  charged  with  heavy  responsibilities — first  to  the  public 
in  connection  with  the  needed  service  they  supply,  and  second 
to  the  security  holders,  who  by  their  confidence  in  the  enterprise 


136  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

make  the  service  possible.  At  no  time  can  a  utility  company 
afford  to  be  complacent  and  remain  complacent,  and  least  of  all 
when  things  appear  to  be  coming  its  way  and  it  has  the  semblance 
of  prosperity.  Then  is  the  time  it  needs  most  of  all  to  ingratiate 
itself  with  its  customers  and  intrench  itself  in  public  favor.  The 
public  may  be  kept  quiescent  and  even  pleased  if  it  obtains  what 
it  wants — that  is,  good  service  under  reasonable  conditions — but 
no  company  ever  accomplished  this  result  through  an  attitude 
of  complacency.  On  the  contrary,  over-complacency  at  critical 
times  can  easily  undermine  all  the  good  work  which  may  have 
been  done  previously  and  create  a  condition  of  antagonism  and 
unrest  which  will  surely  hamper  the  business  and  ultimately 
decrease  the  revenues. 

A  Word  to  the  District  Manager 

The  "bug"  called  complacency  has  another  direction  of  attack 
which  is  particularly  dangerous  to  the  company.  This  is  through 
its  district  managers.  The  district  manager  is  the  head  of  the 
organization  in  his  territory  and  the  representative  of  the  com- 
pany as  a  whole  and  all  for  which  it  stands.  It  is  his  duty  to  be 
a  big  man  in  the  community,  just  as  the  company  is  a  big  and 
necessary  factor  in  its  business  life.  For  this  reason  the  district 
manager  should  be  actively  interested  in  all  the  business  and 
community  organizations — political  organizations  excepted.  He 
should  have  a  place  in  the  chamber  of  commerce,  board  of  trade, 
business  men's  clubs,  improvement  associations  and  similar 
institutions,  for  they  are  useful  and  educational,  and  all  of  them 
more  or  less  affect  or  are  affected  by  the  company's  business  and 
interests.  Complacency  in  this  direction  is  dangerous.  The 
desire  to  let  the  other  fellow  do  it  should  be  throttled.  For  the 
district  manager  to  say  he  is  too  busy  and  cannot  keep  up  with 
these  affairs  is  only  an  excuse.  He  may  be  busy  doing  less  im- 
portant work  which  might  be  done  just  as  well  by  assistants. 
His  duty  is  to  know  all  that  is  taking  place  in  his  district.  Per- 
haps he  is  sometimes  weary  and  would  like  to  stay  home.  It 
takes  a  mighty  conscientious  man  to  tell  the  difference  between 
when  he  is  tired  and  when  he  is  just  lazy.  Over-complacency  is 
liable  to  make  a  man  think  he's  tired  when  he's  only  looking  for 
an  excuse  to  sit  down  and  rest.  Interest  and  anxiety  to  miss 
nothing  are  good  antidotes  for  laziness,  and  these  go  with  the 
brand  of  complacency  that  is  associated  with  judgment  and 


OVER-COMPLACENCY  137 

prudence.  Most  men  want  advancement  and  prosperity — that's 
the  incentive  that  beckons  through  the  daily  grind  of  work.  A 
man  must  go  after  what  he  wants,  and  what  he  doesn't  want  will 
come  after  him.  Complacency  is  a  finely  disguised  enemy  of 
ambition — but  an  enemy  just  the  same. 

Complacency  in  Complaint  Department 

If  there  is  one  place  more  than  another  where  a  central-station 
company  cannot  afford  to  be  complacent,  it  is  in  the  complaint 
department.  This  observation  applies  not  only  to  the  manner 
in  which  complaints  are  received  but  also  to  the  way  in  which 
care  is  taken  of  them.  If  there  were  less  complacency  in  some 
directions,  many  complaints  could  be  averted.  Sometimes  the 
operating  department  knows  of  conditions  where  lines  or  trans- 
formers are  overloaded,  where  voltages  may  be  low  or  interrup- 
tions may  occur;  but  those  in  charge  "take  a  chance"  about  the 
service,  and  it  goes  without  saying  that  complaints  usually  fol- 
low. Sometimes  fuses  blow  out,  lamps  burn  out  and  appliances 
get  out  of  order  because  of  unnecessarily  high  voltage.  Some  one 
in  authority  has  said,  ''Never  mind;  we'll  try  it  out."  Again 
complaints  pour  in  and  consumers  are  inconvenienced,  just  be- 
cause there  has  been  too  much  complacency.  Bills  sent  out  for 
monthly  consumption  are  not  always  clear  and  readily  compre- 
hended, and  the  consumer  complains  because  he  does  not  under- 
stand the  calculation  or  thinks  he  is  overcharged.  This  is  indi- 
cative of  too  much  complacency  in  the  bookkeeping  department. 
A  collector  is  sometimes  known  to  be  a  "grouch,"  or  perhaps  he  is 
only  temperamental,  but  at  any  rate  customers  complain  about 
the  treatment  received.  Some  one  is  to  blame,  and  probably  it 
is  that  collector's  chief  who  is  too  complacent  about  his  work  and 
takes  a  chance  with  the  grouchy  employee. 

It  is  better  to  avert  complaints  if  possible,  but  if  they  exist, 
the  reporting  of  them  should  be  welcomed.  In  the  first  place  it 
gives  the  company  a  chance  to  remedy  wrong  conditions  and  to 
improve  the  service,  and  in  the  next  place  it  creates  an  opportun- 
ity to  make  real  friends.  Nothing  will  please  a  patron  more 
than  to  have  his  complaint  received  with  polite  consideration 
and  to  have  the  trouble  remedied  promptly.  He  is  not  only 
pleased  but  often  he  feels  flattered  that  he,  one  of  the  thousands 
of  customers,  by  simply  saying  a  word  to  a  clerk  in  the  company's 
office  or  over  the  telephone  should  start  something  which  pro- 


138  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

duces  quick  action  and  desired  results.  He  talks  it  over  with  his 
wife,  and  tells  his  neighbors  about  the  splendid  service  furnished 
and  how  the  big  company  had  given  his  complaint  special  con- 
sideration. There  is  a  fitting  time  for  the  company  to  play  its 
trump  card  in  connection  with  each  complaint  filed.  After  the 
complaint  has  been  courteously  recorded  and  passed  on  to  the 
trouble  department  for  prompt  action — and  after  everything  is 
supposed  to  have  received  attention — some  one  in  the  office,  pref- 
erably a  girl  with  a  pleasing  voice,  should  call  the  complaining 
customer  on  the  telephone  and  inquire  if  everything  is  now  satis- 
factory. If  something  yet  remains  to  be  done,  it  can  be  reported 
and  cared  for,  and  if  everything  is  as  it  should  be,  the  office  knows 
it.  But  in  either  case  the  consumer  is  more  than  pleased,  because 
his  individuality  is  recognized  and  he  feels  that  he  counts  for 
something. 

It  is  not  altogether  improbable  that  some  day  the  public 
utility  commissions  will  measure  the  standing  of  a  central-station 
company  by  the  character  and  quantity  of  complaints  received 
and  the  manner  in  which  such  complaints  are  disposed  of.  When 
complaints  are  at  a  minimum,  the  indications  are  that  service  is 
supplied  at  a  high  standard,  and  when  complaints  are  many  and 
poorly  handled,  then  something  must  be  wrong,  and  some  one  is 
to  blame.  At  any  rate,  in  some  way  the  commission  will  find  out 
what  is  wrong,  if  the  company  managers  don't,  and  the  trouble 
will  be  found  to  be  over-complacency  on  the  part  of  some  one 
who  is  likely  a  square  peg  in  a  round  hole.  If  absence  of  com- 
plaints is  to  be  one  measure  of  good  service  and  the  proper  recep- 
tion and  care  of  complaints  is  to  be  another,  then  some  company 
organizations  had  better  be  reorganized.  Complacency  and 
good  service  have  never  yet  traveled  together  and  met  with 
success.  One  of  them  must  be  sacrificed — and  it  is  up  to  the 
district  manager  to  indicate  which. 

Personal  Appearance  and  Complacency 

There  is  one  other  brand  of  complacency  that  is  a  menace  to 
the  district  manager  and  all  his  assistants.  It  is  an  individual 
matter — sometimes  even  considered  a  delicate  subject — and 
that  is  complacency  regarding  personal  appearance.  A  sore 
cannot  be  cured  by  covering  it  up;  it  must  be  open  to  the  sun- 
light and  air.  There  is  no  use  sidestepping  this  subject  as  it  is 
important  alike  to  the  individual  and  the  company.     Some  one 


OVER-COMPLACENCY  139 

once  said  that  "a  man  may  be  known  by  the  company  that  keeps 
him."     As  far  as  it  goes  the  expression  is  all  right,  but  it  might 
well  be  paralleled  by  saying  that  "a  company  is  known  by  the 
men  it  keeps — and  that  is  the  only  way  it  is  known."     If  such 
is  the  case,  does  each  company  employee,  each  man  who  is 
regularly  seen  and  known  as  a  company  representative,  do  his 
part  by  watching  his  personal  appearance  and  safeguarding  the 
impression  he  creates?     The  answer  is  no.     There  are  men  in 
the  district-manager  class  who  set  very  poor  examples  to  those 
under  them.     Then  down  the  line  there  are  men  who  ought  to 
know  better  who  are  hurting  themselves  and  hurting  the  company 
by  their  complacency  as  to  their  personal  appearance.     Unshaven 
faces  are  unpardonable  of  men  whose  work  requires  them  to  meet 
the  company's  customers  in  any  capacity.     In  some  parts  of  the 
world  where  conventionalities  are  more  closely  observed  a  man 
who  had  to  meet  the  public  for  a  business  organization  would 
lose  his  position  if  he  appeared  for  a  day's  work  with  an  unshaven 
face.     Clothes  don't  have  to  be  new,  but  a  little  pride  and  effort 
will  keep  them  clean.     If  a  collar  is  supposed  to  be  white,  then 
it  should  be  white  as  the  snow  on  the  mountain  tops.     If  shoes 
are  supposed  to  be  black,  then  they  should  be  as  black  and  shiny 
as  the  face  of  a  native  in  Central  Africa.     If  a  man  is  going  to 
apply  for  a  position,  he  usually  endeavors  to  create  a  favorable 
impression  by  making  a  good  appearance.     He  should  be  just 
as  particular  after  he  gets  a  position  as  he  was  when  seeking  it. 
Sometimes  employees  a  little  bit  down  the  line  think  they  are  not 
observed  and  that  their  full  value  is  not  appreciated.     If  such 
employees  only  knew  how  much  they  are  observed,  their  worries 
in  that  direction  would  soon  cease.     Some  wonder  why  one 
man  is  sent  up  and  another  remains  down.     There  is  always  a 
reason  for  promoting  one  man  and  passing  by  another.     Some- 
times the  reason  for  staying  down  is  too  much  complacency — too 
much   self-satisfaction   and   not   enough   mental   and   physical 
activity.     The  well-managed  utility  company  is  jealous  of  its 
reputation  and  jealous  of  the  reputation  it  makes  through  its 
representatives.     Personal  appearance  is  not  everything,  but  it 
means  a  great  deal,  and  each  employee  owes  it  to  the  company 
as  well  as  to  himself  to  give  close  attention  to  the  impression  he 
is  making  in  this  direction  and  see  if  he  can  improve  it.     If  he  is 
in  doubt,  let  him  ask  some  one  who  will  tell  him  the  truth.     A 
writer  has  said:  "Man  was  made  for  growth.     It  is  the  object. 


140  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

the  explanation,  of  his  being.  To  have  an  ambition,  to  grow 
larger  and  broader  every  day,  to  push  the  horizon  of  ignorance 
a  little  further  away,  to  become  a  little  richer  in  knowledge,  a 
little  wiser  and  more  of  a  man — that  is  an  ambition  worth  while." 
To  reach  out  toward  these  ideals  might  well  be  the  desire  of  every 
public  utility  employee.  As  he  progresses,  he  will  be  of  greater 
value  to  himself  and  of  greater  usefulness  to  the  company  he 
represents;  but  if  his  ambition  becomes  stimulated  and  he  has  his 
eyes  glued  to  the  upper  rounds  of  the  ladder  of  success,  he  will 
have  said  goodby  to  complacency  until  such  time  as  he  reaches  his 
desired  goal. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
I  THANK  YOU 

There  is  a  story  told  of  a  young  man  who  was  what  might  be 
termed  a  strenuous  lover.  On  one  occasion,  when  embracing  his 
sweetheart,  he  fancied  he  heard  something  that  sounded  like  a 
gasp.  "Am  I  holding  you  too  tight?"  he  queried.  "No,"  was 
the  young  lady's  reply,  "all  I  ask  is  that  you  leave  breath  enough 
to  say  'I  thank  you.'"  Whatever  else  may  be  said,  there  is  no 
doubt  but  this  lady  understood  a  fundamental  principle,  namely, 
that  the  best  protection  for  present  joys  and  the  best  assurance 
for  the  fulfillment  of  hopes  for  the  future,  is  a  thankful  apprecia- 
tion for  past  favors. 

Now  let  us  suppose  you  are  an  employe  of  a  public  service 
corporation,  possibly  not  very  long  in  the  business.  You  may 
have  come  to  the  company  from  the  ranks  of  prejudice  and  hos- 
tility toward  corporations  in  general,  and  all  concerned  with 
them.  But,  doubtless,  you  have  personal  ambitions — you 
desire  to  increase  your  usefulness  to  the  company,  and  you  are 
striving  to  be  recognized  by  the  management  of  the  corporation. 
If  you  are  in  this  class,  if  you  desire  to  reach  the  goal  of  you  ambi- 
tion in  as  little  time  as  possible — in  short,  if  you  want  to  hold  a 
trump  card  in  playing  the  great  game  of  success — then  here  is  a 
message  for  you.  Learn  to  retain  breath  enough,  at  all  fitting 
times  to  say  "I  thank  you."  Some  man  of  a  mercenary  mind 
once  said  that  the  four  sweetest  words  in  the  English  language  are 
"Enclosed  please  find  check."  Be  that  as  it  may,  sweetness 
does  not  draw  all  the  prizes  in  life,  and  other  attributes  may  be 
considered  with  advantage.  After  all,  the  envied  man  is  the  man 
who  possesses  personal  power.  The  power  to  disarm  prejudice 
and  to  dispel  opposition.  The  power  to  win  friends  and  to  draw 
business.  Find  such  a  man  and  he  will  tell  you  that  the  three 
most  potential  words  in  the  English  language  are  "I  thank  you." 
If  it  is  checks  a  man  wants,  then  the  checks  will  come  more  fre- 
quently and  their  amounts  will  be  greater  if  "I  thank  you"  is 
never  overlooked.     If  it  is  ultimate  promotion  to  a  high  position 

141 


142  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

an  emploj^e  seeks,  then  one  of  the  surest  ways  to  draw  the  atten- 
tion of  the  superiors  and  create  a  favorable  impression  is  to 
thoroughly  understand  the  potentiality  of  the  words  "I  thank 
you." 

Most  men  know  there  is  a  proper  time  for  everything,  and  the 
proper  time  to  commence  saying  "I  thank  you"  is  not  next  year 
or  next  week,  but  now  and  at  once. 

Look  to  this  day: — 
For  yesterday  is  only  a  dream 
And  tomorrow  only  a  vision." 

Join  the  Thank  You  Club 

An  editorial  writer,  in  a  recent  issue  of  a  daily  paper,  published 
an  article  under  the  caption  "The  Thank  You  Club,"  which 
writing  indicated  that  he  realized  some  men  and  women  were 
daily  missing  great  opportunities.  He  said  in  part:  "Its  great, 
the  Thank  You  Club.  No  initiation,  no  dues,  no  long-drawn- 
out  meetings,  and  no  reports.  Anyone  can  join,  and  so  small  a 
number  as  two  makes  a  quorum  to  do  business.  No  stated  meet- 
ings, and  no  stipulated  place  of  meeting.  Anybody  can  start 
a  Thank  You  Club.  Beats  Overall  Clubs  all  to  pieces,  lasts 
longer,  does  more  good  and  spreads  sunshine.  One  carries  the 
by-laws  around  in  his  head.  The  password  is  'Thank  you.' 
And  that's  all  there  is  to  the  whole  book  of  rules.  That's  all  it 
means — the  Thank  You  Club — just  a  'Thank  you'  for  the  little 
services  performed  daily  as  well  as  the  big  ones.  A  'Thank  you' 
is  more  appreciated  by  many  people  than  a  tip,  which  by  some 
may  be  considered  an  insult.  Start  a  club  some  morning — 
watch  your  club  grow — good  ideas  spread.  Try  the  club  for  one 
day.  It  may  make  you  a  life  member — and  the  'Thank  you's 
will  increase  and  radiate  like  ripples  from  a  stone  thrown  into 
a  mill-pond." 

The  modern  public  utility  organization  is  much  like  a  great 
machine,  and  its  employes  are  the  cogs  in  the  wheels  which  grind 
out  the  daily  round  of  usefulness.  But  one  must  stop  right  there 
in  the  simile  as  to  a  machine.  A  machine  itself  has  no  thinking 
power  and  no  initiative.  A  man  or  woman  should  possess  both 
judgment  and  discernment  and  be  capable  of  independent 
thought  and  action.     Upon  the  proper  use  of  these  qualities 


I  THANK  YOU  143 

depends  the  degree  of  ultimate  success  obtained.  The  prosperity 
of  a  utility  company  hinges  upon  the  kind  of  men  who  handle 
the  details  of  its  business.  Do  these  men  work  together  har- 
moniously and  efficiently?  Does  the  company  as  an  organiza- 
tion, endeavor  to  please  its  patrons  and  satisfy  the  public?  Let 
us  assume  they  do.  Then  there  will  be  in  evidence  a  spirit  of 
courtesy  and  consideration  between  man  and  man,  and  between 
the  company  and  its  customers.  The  more  respect  and  consider- 
tion  fellow  employes  have  for  one  another,  the  greater  will  be  the 
amount  of  kindly  courtesy  exhibited  in  daily  intercourse.  And 
the  more  a  utility  company  aims  to  please  its  consumers,  the 
greater  amount  of  public  confidence  and  good  will  it  must  enjoy. 
The  outward  and  visible  sign,  in  all  this  intercourse  of  a  pleasing 
character,  is  the  frequent  and  consistent  use  of  the  words  "I 
thank  you,"  when  prompted  by  the  right  spirit. 

It  is  quite  possible  some  may  query  what  is  the  proper  time  and 
place  to  say  "Thank  you,"  and  to  whom  shall  it  be  said?  A 
little  practice  will  soon  clear  up  all  doubts  in  this  regard.  Some 
people  may  be  surprised  at  first  to  hear  the  words  addressed  to 
them,  but  they  will  not  be  shocked.  The  words  become  sweet 
music  to  the  ears  of  him  who  gives  and  him  who  takes.  The 
time?  Any  time — in  personal  intercourse,  over  the  telephone 
or  through  correspondence.  The  place?  Any  place — where  an 
opportunity  is  given  to  recognize  the  existence  and  assistence  of 
another.  The  one?  Any  one — whoever  does  you  a  small  favor 
or  a  big  one;  anyone  who  serves  you,  either  in  a  special  manner  or 
along  the  fines  of  regular  routine.  "Thank  you"  is  rarely  out 
of  place  and  almost  always  welcome. 

Many  individuals  say  "I  thank  you"  because  the  words 
express  their  feelings,  and  they  like  to  use  them.  Some  people 
feel  "I  thank  you,"  but  leave  the  feefing  to  be  understood. 
Others  there  are  who  do  not  know  the  "I  thank  you"  feeling 
and  rarely  use  the  words.  But  the  "I  thank  you"  gospel  may 
be  spread  if  it  is  consistently  promulgated.  Ideas  are  like  nails — 
the  oftener  you  hit  them,  the  deeper  they  sink.  Those  who 
believe  in  the  "I  thank  you"  policy,  need  not  be  discouraged 
if  success  does  not  immediately  crown  their  efforts  to  convince 
others  of  its  value.  The  idea  wifi  eventually  sink  in  through 
persuasion,  conviction  or  self-interest,  if  the  hammering  is  kept 
up. 


144  WINNING  THE  PUBLIC 

Thankfulness  a  Duty 

There  is  another  angle  of  the  "I  thank  you"  idea,  which  is 
not  along  the  lines  of  policy  or  self-interest.  It  is  that  each  of 
us  owes  a  debt  of  courtesy  and  politeness  to  our  fellow  men  with 
whom  we  come  in  contact.  Shakespeare  has  said,  "Thanks  to 
men  of  noble  mind  is  honorable  meed. "  We  have  no  more  right 
to  be  discourteous  or  impolite  to  our  neighbor  at  home,  our 
fellow  employe,  or  those  with  whom  we  come  in  daily  contact, 
than  we  have  the  right  to  hold  a  gun  at  their  heads  and  forcibly 
rob  them.  On  the  other  hand,  if  one  finds  it  necessary  to  commit 
robbery,  the  average  man  is  liable  to  forgive  the  robber,  if  he 
does  his  unpleasant  task  in  a  polite  manner  and  says  "I  thank 
you, "  when  finished. 

The  fixed  star  of  ambition  is  the  eternal  guide  which  beckons 
men  on  to  the  goal  of  success.  Its  light  flashes  from  the  desired 
haven  of  ease,  comfort  and  affluence.  The  lives  of  successful 
men  illuminate  the  pathway  for  those  who  seek  the  guiding 
light  of  experience.  All  successful  men  have  not  reached  the 
goal  through  the  same  attributes  or  by  the  same  means.  But 
all  signs  point  to  the  quickening  power  of  courtesy  and  politeness. 
History  demonstrates  that  most  men  who  have  climbed  highest, 
learned  when  their  feet  were  yet  on  the  lowest  rounds  of  the 
ladder,  of  a  marvelous  compelling  power,  whose  use  had  an  irresis- 
tible effect.  The  marvel  was  its  simplicity,  for  this  mysterious 
power  was  tied  up  in  tte  use  of  the  three  words,  "  I  thank  you. " 


INDEX 


Accounting,  regulation  of,  52 
Advertisement,  the  boastful  and  the 

winning,  89 
Advertisements,  size  of,  85 
Advertising,  accumulative,  86 

and  development,  93 

copy,  91 

the  value  of,  54,  82 
Ambition,  enemies  of,  140 

lack  of,  32 
Apathy,  danger  of,  135 
Appliances  which  increase  the  load, 

60 
Application,  the  value  of,  32 
Assets,  intangible,  13 
Attitude  of  superiority  offensive,  135 


B 


Bacon,  quotation  from  Francis,  39 
Bell,  Alexander  Graham,  67 
Bills,  collecting  promptly,  78 
complaints  about,  117 
using  backs  of,  90 
Buildings  and  oiEces,  appearance  of, 

8 
Business  development  in  the  Central 
Station  industry,  77 


C 


Central  station  plant,  its  load,  28 
Central  station,  service  and  the,  110 
Central    stations    and    cooperative 

publicity,  84 
Cheerfulness,  35 
Circulars,  value  of,  90 
Civilization,  measured  in  terms  of 

kilowatt  hours,  45 
Classifying  the  public,  82 
10 


Cleanliness,  in  the  office,  8 
Collectors  must  not  be  grouchy,  137 
Commercial  instinct,  the,  94 
Commission,  public  utility,  13,  25, 

52 
Commissions,  the  regulation  of  state, 

103 
Company  reputation,  jealous  of,  139 
Complacency,  definition  of,  134 
Complaint  department,  the  employe 
in  the,  118 

danger  of  complacency,  136 
Complaints  and  troubles,  116 
Complaints,  avert  if  possible,  137 

handling,  27 

quick  action,  137 
Conciliation,  art  of,  101 

extent  of,  107 
Confidence,  value  of  the  public's,  95 

winning  the  public's,  101 
Consumer,  contact  with,  118 

co-partners,  2 

effect  of  office  on,  7 

impressing  the,  7 

knowledge  of  corporations  in- 
terest, 6 
Contact,  personal,  44 

points  of,  38 

with  the  consumer,  118 
Conventionalities,     importanc'fe    of, 

139 
Cooperating    through    the    display 

room,  54 
Cooperation,  history  of,  126 

need  of,  30 

negative,  130 

with  one's  self,  128 
Cooperative   publicity   and   central 

stations,  84 
Courtesy,  15,  79 

aggressive,  16,  18 

and  conciliation,  120 

conventional,  18 
145 


146 


INDEX 


Courtesy,  incentives  to,  104 

value  of,  the,  12 

which  convinces,  106 
Customer,  as  a  friend,  the,  99 

man  in  the  street  as  a,  28 

D 

Demand  for  electric  energy,  increas- 
ing the,  54 

Demonstration  classes,  17 

Demonstrations,  value  of  special,  58 

Development  and  advertising,  93 

Display    room,    appointments    and 
methods,  55 
value  of  the,  55 

District  manager,  the,  51,  73 

interest,   community   organiza- 
tions, 136 

Distrust,  the  origin  of,  102 


E 


Edison,  quotation  from  Thomas  A., 
32,  68 

Educational  responsibilities,  the,  61 

Efficiency,  definition  of,  69 

Electric  energy,  increasing  the  de- 
mand for,  54 

Electrical  industry,  branches  of  the, 
130 

Electricity  and  the  home,  61,  96 

Employe,  impression  on  public,  16 

Enthusiasm,  14 

Environment,  the  psychology  of,  19 

Example,  District  Managers',  136 


F 


G 


Good  service  impossible  with  com- 
placency, 138 
Good  will,  how  to  capture,  3 
Greater    Service,    department  of,   4 
what  it  means,  5 


H 


Harmony,  78 

Home,  transforming  the,  96 

Hospitality  in  the  company  oflSce, 
121 

Housework  and  electricity,  61 

Hubbard,    Elbert,    quotation  from, 
127 

Human  being,  the  man  in  the  street 
as  the,  26 
element  in  industry,  130 
machinery  toned  up,  3 

Hydroelectric  power,  value  of  devel- 
oping, 49 


Information  for  the  man  in  the 
street,  25,  29 

Information,  distribution  of,  3 

Informing  the  public,  46 

Impressing  the  customer,  7 

Impressionist,  the,  22 

Instinct,  the  commercial,  94 

Investment,  in  the  electrical  in- 
dustry, 67 

Investor,  the  man  in  the  street  as 
the,  29 

Investors,  outside,  10 


Factory,  electricity  in  the,  96 
Financial  advantages  coming  from 

good  service,  123 
news,  48 
Folders,  value  of,  90 
Franchises  and  the  district  manager, 

75 
Friends,  recognizing,  99 


Ladder  of  success,  140 
Lamps,  displaying,  58 

number  of  incandescent  in  use, 
69 
Laziness,  antidotes  for,  136 
Letter  writing,  139 
Letters,  follow-up,  90 


INDEX 


147 


Lighting,  business  of  developing,  77 

extension  of,  69 
Lines,  transmission  and  distribution, 

7 
Load,  diversity  of,  97 
Load-building,      the      question    of 

scientific,  84 
Load  curve,  the,  28 
Load  factor,  the,  70 
Loyalty,  37 


M 


Management,  good,  13 

Manager,  company,  7,  23 
district,  51,  73 
Managing  men,  129 

Meetings  of  employes,  107 

Memory,  lasting  characteristics,  19 

Meter  reading  and  billing,  114 

Misinformation,  counteracting  pub- 
licity of,  25 

Motion  picture,   the  possibility  of 
the,  92 


N 


New  business  department,  a,  106 
News,  distribution  of,  53 
Newspaper,  supremacy  of  the,  83 
value  of  using,  47 


O 


Office,  hospitality  in  the,  121 
Offices  and  buildings,  appearance  of, 

8,  72 
Operators     on     private     telephone 

exchanges,  42 
Opportunities,  creating,  98 

for  business,  95 
Organizer,  the  district  manager  as 

the,  73 
Over  complacency,  danger  of,  136 
Owen,  Robert,  126 


Peak  bug-a-boo,  the,  70 


Persistence,  34 

Personal   appearance   of   employes, 
120 
avoid  over  complacency,  139 
Personal  element,  the,  98 
Personal  items,  value  of  publishing, 

51 
Personal  power,  the  value  of,  141 
Personal  solicitation,  54 
Personality,  importance  of,  6 
Physical  conditions  which  make  for 

service,  112 
"Pinafore,"  quotation,  20 
"Please,"  use  of  the  word,  19 
Point  of  view,  6 
Points  of  contact,  38 
Politics,  the  public  utility  man  and, 

133 
Politeness,  definition  of,  44 
Polonious,  saying  of,  7 
Possibilities  of  improving  the  ser- 
vice, 125 
Private  ownership,  30 
Procrastination,  33 
Progress,  recognizing,  71 
Promises  broken,  2 
Property,  of  the  company,  7 
Psychology,  of  environment,  the,  9 

of  monopoly,  14 
Prosperity,     of     a     public     utility 
company,  142 
the  danger,  132 
Public,  being  frank  with  the,  89 
classifying  the,  82 
control,  29 
Good    will,    a    result   of   good 

service,  122 
How  it  judges,  6 
Impression  of  company's  pro- 
perties on,  7 
Impression  of  employes  on,  6 
Public  relations,  progressive  policy,  1 
Public  utility  company,  the  organi- 
zation of  a,  142 
interest  in,  6 
Publicity,     Central     stations     and 
cooperative,  84 
methods  of,  82 
value  of,  46 


148 


INDEX 


R 


Rates,  commission  regulation  of,  52 
increase  of,  103 
value  of  schedules,  113 
Railway  electrification,  64 
Regulation,  development  of  State, 

52,  103 
Relations  with  the  public,  79,  105 
Representatives,  selecting,  107 
Responsible  employe,  the,  36 
Revenues,  collecting  the,  77 
Riley,  quotation  from  James  ^\Ti^^- 
comb,  21 


S 


Salesman,  the  electrical,  95 

Scope  of  central  station  business,  16 

Securities,  regulation  of  issuance  of, 

52 
Service,  and  the  central  station,  109 
application,  treatment  of,   114 
component  parts  of.  111 
tangible  and  intangible,  111 
the  nature  of,  104 
various  conceptions  of  the  word, 

109 
what  depends  on  good,  122 
Service  inspector,  need  of  a,  118 
Shakespeare,  quotation  from,  144 
Smile,  the  value  of  the,  99 
Solicitation,  personal,  54 


Special  demonstrations,  value  of,  58 
Standing  of  company  indicated  by 

number  of  complaints,  19 
Stockholders,  increasing  the,  30 
Street  lighting,  developing,  77 
Student,  the,  24 
Success,  courting,  133 
Success,  cornerstone  of,  14 
elements  of,  33 


Telephone,  contact  over  the,  41 
Telephone,  invention  of  the,  67 

operator,  the,  26 

operators  on  private  exchanges, 
42 
Telegraphy,  development  of,  66 
Thank  You  Club,  the,  142 
Tidiness,  in  the  office,  8 
Transportation,  air  and  electricity, 
65 

land  and  electricity,  63 

sea  and  electricity,  64 
Troubleman,     117 
Troubles,  preventing,  113 


U 


United  States,  central  stations  and 
municipal  electric  plants 
in,  13 

Uses  of  electricity,  the  increasing,  71 


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